Don't Even Say It (A Max Thunderman Fan Fiction)
by EricaMiranda
Summary: "Do you really think I'm that stupid, Max Thunderman?" she said with an annoyed tone. "Your name says it all!" "Well, don't for once think that I don't know your secrets, too!" I blurted out. Yes, I have discovered something about the goody goody girl. Something I know she wouldn't and can't deny. With this, her face became pale.
1. Chapter 1: She's Probably a Nerd

**Author's Note** : Welcome to another fanfic brought by yours truly. This is a fanfic based on the Nickelodeon sitcom "The Thundermans". I have been so obsessed with the show no matter how cheesy the whole plot line is and I've noticed that not a lot of people are talking about it. I've been inspired to write a story about the said show while I was writing my other story, Long Live the Boy-King, but I grew hesitant at first because the former had slow updates. (sorry) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this new story I've made and please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions. I do not own the Thundermans, btw.

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter One:** She's Probably a Nerd

 **MAX**

Being in a family of superheroes has been the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I know that I stick out like a sore thumb. Everyone knows it. I am nothing compared to my parents. Dad may be the most well-known superhero not only in Metroburg but all around the world. Possessing super strength doubled with his abilities to fly, he sure did put a stop to a lot of crimes back in his days. But old age wore him out. His blonde hair now turned gray, his lean body now a blob of fat from all the meat he has consumed. But there's still some spark in dad. He still has this natural urge for him to help people even in the littlest way possible. Mom was beautiful. _Is_ beautiful, rather. Yeah, she now has a few extra lines on her forehead and crinkles on her face but she's still beautiful. Plus, when she's in rage, expect thunderstorms. Literally, thunderstorms. During her youth, she was known as Electress, saving people one lightning at a time. Lowers electric bills, too. Mom still does that, being a superhero. But her powers are mostly seen in a, well, more _mom_ way. Her cooking is absolutely perfect and the house is well-kept. When one of us gets sick, she always makes sure that a bowl of chicken noodle soup is served. Then, there are my siblings. Phoebe, my twin sister who is the total opposite of me. We do share the same powers, of course: freeze and fire breath, telekinesis, super intelligence, and even the thunder sense. But she always gets good grades, I don't. She's a goody-two-shoes, I'm not. She's kind, passionate, and determined, I'm not. At least, that's what I want people to think. After all, if I'm going to be a future supervillain, might as well start early. And even if I did try to be just like her, I'm still not going to be as good as she is. I don't intend to be. I'm happy the way I am. Chloe, Billy, and Nora are too young to be taken seriously. I still love them, though, even if they are so annoying sometimes.

My family isn't perfect but everyone loves one another. The reason why I think it's the worst thing that has ever happened to me? Because someday, when I do pursue to be a supervillain, everyone will probably disregard me, saying that it's still just a phase. But it's what I'm good at. I'd like to think that I will be someone important someday. But sometimes I can't help but think that I am a big disappointment and I would be a bigger one in the future. As long as my last name is Thunderman.

"Max, please put your feet off the table." I obeyed Mom and hurriedly removed my feet from the table, fixing my posture as well while eating my cereal. It's the first day of junior high and I can't wait… NOT. I mean, yes, I do like hanging out with my friends and band mates, making fun of teachers and clumsy students, but there's something about summer that I would surely miss. For instance, I don't have to sit in and listen to my teacher rant about quadratic equations or do stupid physics inventions. But all jokes aside, I loved this year's summer. I had a lot of time drawing some blueprints for my new inventions, enjoyed my solitude in the lair, and finally managed to get away from my siblings' constant babbling. Sadly, it ended earlier than I expected. I guess time does fly fast when you're enjoying yourself.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Phoebe put the back of her hand on my forehead, making me stop chewing on my cereal. "Uhh… What are you doing?" I asked Phoebe, still surprised by her sudden presence. I looked at her and saw confusion on her face.

"You're so quiet ever since summer came and you're not whining that you're sick to skip school. Who are you and what did you do to Max Thunderman?" she shouted before laughing hard. "But seriously, are you feeling fine? Did you finally decide it's time to stop all this supervillain nonsense?"

"It's not funny, Phoebe." I rolled my eyes at her. I never drink the milk after I finish the bits of my cereal, so I grabbed my plate and put it on the sink before looking for a water bottle in the fridge. "The reason why I've been this quiet is because I have been building various gadgets and gizmo to take over the world." I paused as I sip from my bottle and for dramatic effect. "And for pranks I'll pull when school starts." It was her turn to roll her eyes but in a more teasing manner.

Dad walked in to the kitchen by the time I grabbed my backpack. "Hey, you guys want a ride to school?" he offered while scavenging for food. Phoebe quickly responded with an enthusiastic 'yes'.

"I have to pass because it's never cool when people from my school recognizes you as my dad." Dad and Phoebe looked at each other. She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly agreeing with my statement but knowing Phoebe, she wouldn't change her mind. After all, a car ride is better than taking the bus. Cheaper and faster. "And because I already have my motorcycle, remember?" Three months after Phoebe and I turned sixteen, I applied for a learner's license and passed. During our last two months in sophomore year I had an online job, moderating Metroburg's official website that carried on until the last week of summer, which paid me a fair amount of money I used to save up for a secondhand motorcycle. Oyster helped me out with that since his uncle was a mechanic.

"Right, of course. But please be careful, Max. And go straight to school, for goodness' sake. I don't want you being tardy or absent again for some dumb reason." Dad was stern with his rules and even though I don't listen to half of what he says, I still respect him. He's still my dad. Instead of spitting out a comeback, I just rolled my eyes and smirked at him. He nudged Phoebe on the shoulder and said, "Well, come on now, Pheebs. I still need to drive Billy and Nora to school after I drop you off." Phoebe hurriedly picked up her backpack and exited via the back door. I headed to the opposite exit and grabbed my helmet from the coffee table. I mounted my motorcycle and waited for the minivan to exit the driveway before I followed it behind like a convoy. The drive to school wasn't long at all. When Dad dropped Phoebe off, I took a turn towards the school's parking lot and parked on one of the shady spots, securing my ride before entering the school.

The main hall looked the same except for a few new faces. Freshmen and transferees. The lockers were painted according to year level. Freshmen get green, sophomores yellow, red for juniors, and seniors fashion blue. I made my way to my assigned locker and proceeded to fill it with my usual school stuff: books, notes, cologne, grooming kit with extra clothes, a stink bomb, whoopee cushion, and other prank materials.

"Hey, man." I turned around to see Oyster smiling at me while sporting his usual bad boy look consisting of a leather jacket and spiky hair.

"Hey, Oyster. Nice seeing you," I said while we shook hands and gave each other a hug. "Where are the others?" I asked. He told me that they were still on their way to school. We exchanged our class schedules and found out that we have Algebra and Biology together. At least those boring subject won't be as boring now since I could pull pranks together with Oyster and some of the guys. Those hours would be tolerable, at least.

We received our summer stories for later when the bell rang indicating the start of classes. I have English for first period. Oh I can't wait to read literary materials for this year again… NOT.

 **PHOEBE**

Max and I were never close despite being twins. That's a common misconception among twins; just because we were birthed at the same time doesn't mean we share the same interests or even get along. But he's still my brother and sometimes, though he never tries, he could be nice. I know, he still has this supervillain mentality but I believe he will still change no matter how much he denies it. Max is total jerk but he's not heartless. And he's still a Thunderman.

"Thanks for the ride, Dad. Drive safe." Dad beeped as he drove away. I gave him a little wave before entering the main hall. Nothing much changed in Hiddenville High over the course of the summer except for the locker colors. And the number of students. Seeing a familiar blonde in the distance, I hurriedly made my way to my best friend who was stuffing her locker with books and other essentials. "Cherry!" She quickly turned around at the sound of my voice and jumped up and down when she realized it was me.

"Pheebs! I'm so glad to finally hang out with you again. And guess what? We're still locker neighbors!" We squealed like little girls in the middle of the hallway earning strange and irritated looks from people around us. We stopped immediately when we noticed the stares and I proceeded to fill my own locker with stuff.

"Anyway, what's new? You know anything good to share?" I asked her while hanging a small mirror on my locker door. Below it, I fixed a calendar for my deadlines. This is a useful tip I once read on a magazine when I was on fifth grade and it was the best thing I've learned to do. I never missed out on my assignments, not that I did before. But still, at least I have a record of schedules.

"Well," Cherry started. "I don't really know any of the freshmen," she said while handing me her schedule. We have Physics, first period, and Algebra after lunch which means, I'll be meeting Max, too, during that period. "Oh, there's a new girl by the way, from Beetlepen, California. Her name is Vanessa Golden. I haven't met her yet but she's a junior, too."

We don't get a lot of transferees here in Hiddenville High because this school isn't the best, I'm not gonna lie. A new face would be cool. I hope she isn't mean. I haven't heard of Beetlepen, California, though. This girl sure is a mystery. Cherry and I didn't talk more after that. Instead, we both grabbed our Physics books and proceeded to first period when the bell rang.

Mr. Beamton is our assigned Physics teacher this year. He's quite young to be a teacher. Maybe in his early twenties, sporting a long-sleeved gray shirt, jeans, and Nikes, he seems cool. A lot of uppermen say that he is patient with students but when you mess with him and not take his subject seriously, he will not hesitate giving you a failed grade. I should be careful with him. I never get a low grade and I'm not planning to get one, ever. "Alright, juniors, welcome to Physics. I am, as the board says, Mr. Francis Beamton, or just Mr. Beamton, and I will be your teacher in this subject." He started enthusiastically. So far, I think this year will be interesting. He seems chill which is nice. "But before I start, I would like to introduce to you to our new student all the way from Beetlepen, California, Ms. Vanessa Golden." That's the new girl Cherry was talking about. "Ms. Golden, please stand up and say hi to your new classmates."

Mr. Beamton pointed at the farthest seat, the one closest to the motor cabinets. All eyes turned to the new girl. "Hi," Vanessa said carefully. She has a black headband on her pink hair, dark eyes behind thick-framed glasses, and was wearing a yellow vintage dress partnered with cream-colored flats. I never expected her to be so… vintage-y. Of course, her hair wasn't but it suits her. She looks like a conservative rock star. I looked around and saw almost all of the boys wide-eyed and mouth agape as they look at her. Even some of the girls! She is beautiful and cool and seems nice so I wouldn't see why it's wrong to have that kind of reaction. "I'm Vanessa. Nice to meet you." She said it quickly it was hardly audible and sank back to her seat the moment she finished. All eyes were still on her making her blush beet red, looking down on her notebook.

"Okay, all eyes here in front now, guys. You can converse with Ms. Vanessa later on." Mr. Beamton started asking us how summer went by and shared a few jokes with the students that are, surprisingly, genuinely funny. He continued conversing with us while he drew a diagram and wrote some instructions on the board.

"She is really pretty and she seems nice," Cherry said quietly while Mr. Beamton wasn't looking. I gave her a smile and nodded at her. "Maybe we can talk to her later and offer her to sit with us during lunch." I gave her another nod and said I agreed to her idea. Meeting the new girl was great, jaw-dropping, really, and being her friend would be so cool.

Cherry coughed softly and turned towards the board when Mr. Beamton placed his chalk down. "So, let's get something straight here, guys. I try my best to communicate with you students. I don't want you leaving my class and telling yourselves 'Mr. Beamton is the worst and his subject is the worst', no. I want you all to learn and see the application of Physics in real life. But…" he emphasizes the 'but' loud enough to make the whole room freeze. "But… I don't want you slacking off on my works and experiments because I will give you a failing grade if you don't shape up. Understood?" Everyone mumbled a 'yes sir'. "Good. So, let's start. Let's dig down those brains of yours. Under your desks, you will find a broken motor. With the instructions here on the board and the other stuff inside your desks, I want you all to fix this motor and get creative with it. Put in designs and innovations, whatever you like and present it to me the moment you are finished. You've encountered this last year and I am expecting you still remember this." This is easy stuff. I got an A last year when I turned in my freestyle science project in this experiment. I got this. Mr. Beamton looked at his watch then at the wall clock and said, "I'm giving you twenty minutes. Your time starts now."

I quickly picked up the materials and started assembling the simple motor. Some wire here, some tape there, I'd be finished in under fifteen minutes. I focused hard on what I was doing because I really want to start earlier than the rest, it might give Mr. Beamton a good impression of me. Cherry needed help with a few things but I managed to work on my own as well. But in only five minutes, someone said "Sir, I'm done." I can't believe it! How is someone done when I am only near halfway the whole thing? Most of the students turned to me, expecting me to be the owner of the voice but I shook my head from side to side. I looked up at Mr. Beamton, whose eyebrow is raised in surprise but smile was still on his face. He made his way to the back of the class. We followed him with our eyes and saw that he was making his way towards the new girl. Vanessa was patiently waiting for Mr. Beamton to get to her table.

"That was quick, Vanessa. Are you sure you don't want more time?" She said no to him and gestured for him to take a look at her motor. "Okay, then." He connected the wires to the battery while Vanessa placed the other materials inside the case of the motor and it did move… fast. "This is impressive, Ms. Golden. You work fast and accurate. That's a five points for your class participation today. Keep it up." Vanessa smiled at him. She's perfect, smart and beautiful and nice. Oh, I really want to be her friend. Mr. Beamton told her that she could leave class early but she decided to stay and ask for any work. Mr. Beamton found the week's syllabus and handed it to her. He told her that if she has nothing else to do, she might as well list down the lessons and homeworks for this week on the board. Another five minutes passed and I finished my own setup followed by one student after another. I looked for Vanessa before the second bell rings but she already left.

English was perfect as usual. We are having the Great Gatsby for the semester's lesson. I love the Great Gatsby and I will fall in love with it more now that I'm going to read a more complex version of it. The lunch bell rang and I proceeded to my locker before going to the cafeteria and meeting with Cherry. Coincidentally, I was locker neighbors with a certain pink-haired girl. I opened my locker first before greeting her. "Hey, you're Vanessa Golden. I didn't know we were locker neighbors."

She closed her locker door before responding. "Oh, you're the girl from Physics. Your name is?"

"Phoebe. Phoebe Thunderman."

"Right. Nice meeting you, Phoebe." We shook hands and exchanged smiles. "Hey, do you want a cookie? I baked it myself. It's sort of my thing." I accepted her offer. She handed me a wrapped up bunch of cookies which I put in my bag and asked her if she wanted to come sit with us during lunch. She said yes and thanked me for inviting her.

We were supposed to go straight to the cafeteria when Gideon, one of Max's friends, stopped us and said hello to Vanessa and me, but mostly Vanessa. She introduced herself shyly. Gideon was followed by Oyster and a couple more guys introducing themselves to Vanessa. And before I knew it, there was a stampede of guys trying to be friends with the new girl.

 **MAX**

My usual classes are boring as ever. Seriously, how could this help me in the future when my aim is to destroy the world? Physics could be of help but the sort of thing they teach us is like a first grade's lesson to me. First day of school is a total fail. The only thing that would cheer me up is food, as usual.

I stopped short on my way to the cafeteria when I saw something quite unusual. A crowd of guys all blocked one section of the main hall. The chattering, banters, and chaotic 'hellos' erupted from the group. High school students seldom rally over one thing. Free food and a shower of money would surely attract these people. What I find unusual is that majority of them are males and a few females are scattered amongst them. "Is it buffet Monday?" I asked no one in particular.

"Nope," Cherry said casually as she walked closer to me. She stopped at the sight of the growing colony of testosterone. I raised an eyebrow at her which she responded with, "There's a new girl from Beetlepen. She is extremely pretty and smart and nice."

Oh, of course. New hot kid also attracts this kind of crowd. And it surely does spark up my interest. Along with the blonde girl beside me, I walked forward and tried to push through the crowd and get a glimpse of the new girl. Alas, the boys were desperate so I had to back down and shrug at Cherry who didn't have a chance as well. "Hiddenville High sure needs more field trips. These guys act like it's their first time seeing a girl."

Within seconds of clamor, a certain brunette emerged from the pool of noisy high schoolers. It was Phoebe, my twin sister. Her brown hair all went in different places and distress was clear on her face. "Max!" she called out. "Help me pull Vanessa out of this cloud of body odor!" She was struggling beneath the stampede and did her best to pull out the arm emerging beside her.

"And what's in it for me?" I'm her evil brother, I always have conditions. My smirk faltered when Phoebe shot me a murderous glare. She always gets me with that stare. Without hesitation, I rolled my eyes at her and handed Cherry my backpack. She caught it clumsily. I reached out to grab Phoebe out of the crowd and proceeded to take the hand screaming for my help. I pulled very hard, I could feel the girl's nails digging into my skin. It took three more pulls until a full figure came slipping out of the colony. Luckily, my thundersense kicked in and I caught her just in time. My left hand was behind the girl's head, my other hand still on hers. And I felt my breath hitch.

A pair of round brown eyes behind thick frames of glasses stared up on mine in surprise. The girl's mouth was slightly agape making me feel her hot breath against my cheek. Her freckled nose was only inches away from mine. She looks normal, average for my taste, except for the pink strands of her hair tamed by a black hairband. I felt time stop for a moment then I heard her speak. "Thanks," she said flatly. I was back in my senses and I let her stand up and fix herself while Cherry handed me back my backpack. I turned around and saw Oyster and the other guys staring at me, glaring at me more, to be honest.

"Are you guys crazy? It's not like she's the only girl in the world!" I said, annoyed. I had to mess my hair for this. I had my forehead sweaty for this average looking girl and yet they think she's the perfect girl that could ever exist. My goodness. I didn't say another word to them and continued my way down to the cafeteria to eat lunch which I hope isn't as bad as last year. The lunch lady's taste buds seem to grow older by the year.

"I think you're really pretty." I heard Oyster, my best friend, say to the new girl. I rolled my eyes and looked back at him with disappointment.

"She's probably a nerd, Oyster! Don't get your hopes up."

 **Author's Note** : Well, there ya go! That's the first chapter. Unlike my other fanfic, I will keep the following chapters of DESI a bit shorter because I think it's tiring to read a chapter with too many things going on all at once. I hope you enjoy this new fic I'm working on!


	2. Chapter 2: A Cookie Crumb

**Author's Note** : I decided to post another chapter up because of the overwhelming reviews I received for chapter 1. You guys are awesome! By the way, all the characters in the Thundermans are played by their respective actors in this story and Vanessa is played by (at least in my head) Kiernan Shipka. If you don't know who she is, you should search her up because she is an amazing actress. But if you don't feel like Kiernan playing Vanessa, her face is all up to your imaginations. Anywaaaaay (sorry rambling again) here is the second chapter! Enjoy! (Still do not own the thundermans)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter 2:** A Piece of Cookie Crumb

 **PHOEBE**

First day of school is exhausting but really great. Algebra was a piece of cake as always and our teacher was great. She's Mrs. Albright, a middle-aged woman that handles the sophomores as well. She's not as cool as Mr. Beamton but for an Algebra teacher, I think she's alright. (Alright Albright. Ha. I made that joke earlier. No one laughed.) Max, being the troublemaker that he is, pulled a prank on her by claiming he's an exchange student from Russia. Mrs. Albright went on with it only to Max's surprise when she started talking in Russian. We all laughed it out because she's cool. In my opinion, the new line up for our teachers this year is the most tolerable unlike back on our freshmen year. The teachers were terrible back then, strict and smells like overaged breakfast food. As to why I know the smell of overaged breakfast food, two words: Billy and Nora. But that's a story for another time.

"How was school, Phoebe?" Mom asked as soon as I crashed on the sofa and turned on the t. v. I told her how great it was, how cool the teacher were, and how Max got humiliated in Algebra. She listened intently to my stories, like always. "I heard there was a new girl in your class. You know her?" she asked.

"Uhm, yeah. She's Vanessa Golden. She's super cute and super smart. She rocked Physics all the way," I said enthusiastically. I remembered having lunch with her earlier along with Cherry. We were seated on our usual lunch table near the biggest window installed in the cafeteria and beside the smoothie machine. It was Cherry's idea to sit there to have easy access on the machine. I was a bit proud of her for having that idea. After all, she is Cherry. We asked Vanessa all about her life in Beetlepen. She is an only child. Her father works as an engineer and her mom's a businesswoman. They ended up in Hiddenville because of her mom's work. Back in her old school, she tops all of her classes and competed in lots of national and international contests. That information didn't surprise me, she gives off an I-am-an-honor-student kind of aura which is good since we're in the same boat. It's not every day I could meet someone smart and normal at the same time. Sarah is very smart but she's a big cross on my normal list. And Cherry… well… let's just say she's unique. Vanessa said that she was very sad to leave Beetlepen because she was going to miss her old friends but she readily accepted Hiddenville and finds this place not-so-bad. Aside from Physics, we don't have any classes together but she seems eager to hang out with me and Cherry so we decided to exchange numbers and may be see each other during weekends.

"That's great that you're making friends with new people, Phoebe. I hope you'll introduce me to her one day. She seems nice," Mom said with a huge smile on her face.

Our conversation was interrupted by a sudden yelling in the kitchen. It was not long before Chloe teleported beside me, making me and mom jump in surprise. The little blonde girl looked at us with her round puppy eyes and said, "There's a spider in the soup." She still has some trouble pronouncing some of the words that has the letter r which only added to her cuteness. Mom and I both stood up at the same time. I picked Chloe up and carried her in my arms before following Mom to the kitchen.

The kitchen floor was covered in vegetables, broth, and some chicken bits while Billy and Nora hugged each other, scared expressions on their faces as they eyed the tarantula crawling beside the fallen soup pot. "What is going on here?" Mom asked sternly, clearly annoyed at the mess. As if on cue, Nora's eyes shot out lasers three times, attempting to hit the hairy arachnid. "Phoebe, please take the spider outside. My eyes widened at Mom's request. She can't expect me to pick up that icky creature like it's only a toy! That's gross. Mom looked at me with a raised brow. "Telekinesis, Phoebe. Telekinesis," she said as if to answer my doubts. Oh, right. A family of super heroes. I levitated the tarantula in midair and exited through the back door and into the garden making Nora and Billy squirm away back to Mom's side.

I was still carrying Chloe as I put down the tarantula on the grass. "Why are Billy and Nora cooking dinner? Mom trusts them that much?" I asked her while we go back inside. The scene that welcomed as was Mom pinching Max in the ear while dragging him slowly to the overturned pot, making him clean up the mess. Right, prankster. He must've put the tarantula in the pot.

"They say it's for homework. Mom is helping," Chloe answered as I put her down.

 **MAX**

The first week of school was absolutely lethargic and not just because of the home works and irrelevant activities/classroom reports but because of the constant annoyance that Phoebe and her friends are giving me. I don't really care much about Phoebe's social life or her academic standards, in fact I want to ruin those, but right now she is being so horrible. Firstly, she became best friends with the new girl in a snap of a finger which means she is more motivated to compete against Vanessa. This means that she stays up late and recites every little thing in her book out loud to better memorize it. I've been lacking sleep for like three days because of her! Second, when she goes home, she's sporting a sad face or a frown which cheers me up a little until I hear the reason why. Vanessa is better than her at this, Vanessa's better at her than that. I asked her why she keeps on befriending the new girl if she only wants to compete. She told me Vanessa is a great motivator. Though she is better than my sister in everything, she keeps on pushing Phoebe and Cherry to do better in their subjects. Unbelievable. And lastly, Vanessa did prove to me how much of an annoying know-it-all she is.

It was Wednesday and coincidentally, during lunch, my bandmates and I were sat on the table opposite Phoebe and her friends'. Though I think the coincidence is less likely to happen because Oyster and Gideon have been drooling over the pink-haired nerd (most of the boys in Hiddenville High, actually), they have been following her around and she acts so oblivious to it. Anyway, I was showing Oyster the new gadget I made which is food tracker. It's a device hooked into some sort of GPS that shows the person holding it the nearest location of the tastiest food present in the area within a 1 mile radius. We were having fun planning out which tables we're going to attack in order to get the other students' lunches when the GSP broke down. Reason? Loose wirings. That was so infuriating especially when I don't carry around my tools. I was whining for five minutes until the three annoying girls came to our table.

"Did Max break his precious little toy?" Phoebe said in a baby voice coupled with pouting lips and puppy eyes. Cherry laughed in an instant. "Quit whining, would you? You're disturbing everyone's lunch." I rolled my eyes at her and proceeded to fiddle with the stupid wirings on the GPS. I've tested this thing for hours and when it's finally time to impress my friends, it malfunctioned.

"Can I take a look at that?" Vanessa said. I looked up to see her adjusting her glasses better on her face. Unlike Monday, she doesn't look like a conservative rockstar. She looks more casual, like she's actually from this era. Black turtleneck with long sleeves, red skirt with blue leaf patterns, black stockings, and sandals was her outfit. I looked back at her face and saw she was seriously trying to take a look on my gadget. She even had her hand outstretched in front of me. Like a father protecting a child, I leaned back away from her and eyed her suspiciously. She rolled her brown eyes and said to me with a smile, "Relax, I'm good at fixing stuff especially like one of those." I didn't say anything.

"Yeah, her father's an engineer and she's the best in Physics." My eyes shifted towards my sister which looked down the ground, making me smirk a tiny bit. She hates it when someone outsmarts her especially on subjects she's good at like Physics.

Little did I know that while I was staring at Phoebe, Vanessa snatched away the gadget in my hands and brought it closer to her face, inspecting it. "Hey! I didn't give you permission to hold it," I told her while standing up from my seat. She only took a step back and ran her fingers through the wires.

"The problem isn't the wires," she said flatly, no emotion on her face. She then reached out inside her bag and pulled out a screw driver. "There's something stuck between the bolts of the chip," she added while scraping the medium-sized chip holding all the info in order for the gadget to work. I worried a little because she might damage it further. "I just have to—" Something popped and from the chip she produced a piece of cookie crumb. Colosso's snack. Ugh, that bunny is going to be the death of me. She then screwed shut the case and handed back the food tracker to me. "Next time clean your work place." Then, she grabbed her bag and said she's going to prepare for next class, leaving me standing there, frozen, and very angry at her cockiness. I didn't know Colosso was making a mess of my experiments. If I did this wouldn't have happened.

Then on Biology, she kept raising her hands to either answer a question (taking up about 20 minutes of the whole class) or to ask a question that is completely irrelevant to our discussion. Like when our teacher was discussing the parts of the human heart she kept asking the history of its discovery and whatnot. It was so annoying. If I could I would have dropped out of that class. But my teachers have been threatening me for summer school ever since my first year so this time I have to pass. What an agony I will endure just to do just that especially when I am classmates with the Golden girl.

To relax myself, I decided to start with the new projects I made during summer. I have a pile of blueprints in my room just waiting to be brought to life. Let's see, what shall I do first? I picked up one sheet up in random. "Laser Sword 3000" was written in bold letters. Right. Gideon introduced me to Star Wars during the summer break and I wondered if I could make a similar thing to a light saber. The materials are a bit expensive but I think I could find some useful alternatives. For the laser, I'm thinking of putting one of Nora's eye laser inside a negatively charged titanium jar so it could bounce back and forth until I could contain it through a tube. There are a lot of things to do, still so I better start now.

"Nora! I need your freaking eyeballs!"I shouted on top of my lungs while grabbing my titanium jar and climbing up my stairs to find my little sister.

 **Author's Note** : This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous one because I think this is the ideal length I am shooting for. The reason why chapter 1 was a bit long is because I'm setting the mood (sort of) and I didn't want to prolong Vanessa's introduction to the story. Anyway, expect the next chapters to be around this long, too. Oh and each chapter has two different point of views unless I decided to change up some things in the future. J


	3. Chapter 3: I Just Saw It in a Magazine

**Author's Note** : Third chapter! Yay! Before any of you, machine geeks, come marching towards me with a torch, I am not a professional engineer or mechanic. I don't work with machines of any sort so whatever complicated thing that Max and Vanessa encounter in which they will fix it, keep in mind that the procedures I'm writing are completely fictional. But I am open to hear any suggestions you'll give to improve my story. Anyway, please enjoy. I still do not own the Thundermans.

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Three:** I Just Saw It in a Magazine

 **VANESSA**

So far, Hiddenville has been great. When my parents told me that we're moving, it was a total surprise to me. We don't necessarily travel a lot since we are all comfortable in Beetlepen. We've been living there ever since I was born. The farthest I've ever been to was when we took a vacation in London and we only stayed there for five days. Within those days, I immediately missed my home. At first I was very sad because I'll leave my friends behind. No more late night shoppings, no more book club meetings, no more hanging out, in short. I asked my mom why we needed to move. She only told me that it's for my sake. She'd rather bring us with her for her work than see us on weekends only. I've put my mind into it and agreed with her to move. There's no problem with Dad; he goes wherever my mom goes.

Moving here, it wasn't so bad. Our house looks nice though it's a tad smaller than our previous one. I got to occupy our attic, though, for my experiments and projects which made me extremely happy. School is great as well, the teachers are nice so were the students. I made two friends on my first day and I like them a lot. They are not like my old friends but I know they'll be just as great. Mom urged me to have a job, too, to earn my own money. At first I was hesitant because then it means that I'd have less time to work on my gizmos. But then again, if I had my own money, I wouldn't need to ask my parents for some if ever I need some materials. Splatburger isn't the best fast food chain but I think they pay well so I took that for my first job. I work three times during weekdays and on Saturdays.

After my shift on Splatburger, I received a call from Phoebe. She wanted to invite me over to watch a movie with Cherry at 4 in the afternoon. She texted me the address and told me not to be late. Hurriedly, I went home and picked out a casual and comfortable outfit. I also packed up some snacks and my own DVDs in case they want to watch other movies. For my clothes, I put on a white shirt with black long sleeves and topped it off with a denim vest. My bottoms are plain black jeans and black Converse. I love putting effort into my style. I think it defines who I am, in a way. I parted my pink hair in the middle and curled the ends a bit. For the movies, I picked out three of my favorite movies of all time: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, My Sister's Keeper, and Shutter Island. I purposely picked out different genres so that we'd have more to choose from. Next, I threw some packs of microwaveable popcorn and three bars of chocolate. Before I left home, I texted my mom that I'd be home a bit late because I'm hanging out with my new friends. After that, I took the bus and proceeded to the Thunderman's residence.

By the time I arrived, I knocked several times on the orange door but no one answered. I texted Phoebe but she didn't answer. Did they flake out on me? No, I don't think so. They're not those kinds of people, I guess. A bit impatient, I turned the doorknob heard it click from inside. The door wasn't locked so I stepped inside the house. The Thundermans have a simple suburban taste from what I notice. "Phoebe? Cherry? Anyone home?" No one answered. It's like a deserted house. I saw the stairs leading to the second floor and was about to ascend from it. Unfortunately, I tripped and for some reason, my hand landed on a sort of switch. That little stool in front of me was actually a disguised compartment. I leaned in and saw a slide leading to an underground room. I looked around, checking if anyone's looking. When I have been assured by my senses that I am the only person here, I climbed down and produced a soft scream of anticipation as I slid down.

 **MAX**

"What do you mean you won't give me a laser shot?" I asked Nora with a disbelieving look. I really need some laser and I can't afford to buy a legitimate laser on the villains' website. They are too expensive. But why would I do that when my own sister could produce some for free?

She didn't look at me when she said, "I'm not giving you some. You've pranked me and Billy making my homework flop. Face the consequences brother." Instead, she continued playing with Billy and Chloe, pretending to pour tea into their tiny little cups. "Do you want any more biscuits, sire?" She asked Billy, wearing a fake mustache, with a fake British accent. Billy, in turn, nodded his head, trying so hard to look like a proper gentleman.

"I can't believe it! It was just a little prank!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "Besides, I'm your older brother. You should do what I tell you to."

"Better believe it, baby!" Chloe interjected while pointing at me. She's wearing a furry scarf around her neck and round sunglasses that are way too big for her face.

"You stay out of this, munchkin," I said a bit annoyed. "Ugh! Fine. If you won't give me some, then don't," I finally submitted. I went back inside from the garage and quickly pushed the button leading to my room/lair. I slid down and landed on my bed and accidentally knocked over a figure in the process. The person sitting on my bed was now on the floor. I quickly got up and look who I knocked over. "Hey, who are you and what are you doing here?" I asked sternly.

Rubbing her head full of pink hair, Vanessa Golden turned towards me as she stood up very slowly. Her face was scrunched up into a frown, surprise obvious at the sight of me. "Max? This is your room?" she asked with wide eyes.

"You didn't answer my question," I countered. "What are you doing here? This is literally trespassing." I added.

She rolled her eyes at me by the time she found her balance and moved her hands back to her sides. "Relax. Phoebe invited me over. We were supposed to watch a movie here with Cherry. Didn't she tell you?" She told me. She asked Mom for her permission on Monday night no matter how much I disagreed to let a stranger in the house. "By the way, where _is_ Phoebe? I texted her a while ago but she hasn't replied yet."

"She's picking Cherry up at her house, at least that's what she told me," I said as I moved over to my working table and setting my empty titanium jar down. I moved around some wires and pieces to clear up my areas but stopped when I sensed that Vanessa is still in my room. "You're not allowed here, by the way. This is my room. Ever heard of privacy?"

She made a sound that was between a snort and a chuckle. Nevertheless, it was very unladylike. "Right. I'm just looking around. You have a cool room." I turned to her as she started running her hands over my pile of blueprints. She picked up my plans for Laser Sword 3000 which was sitting on top of the pile. "This is such an ambitious project. But you seem like you know what you're doing," she said as she scanned over some of the diagrams and instructions I've written down. I snatched the blueprint from her and placed it back down. But that didn't stop her from 'looking around'. She stopped in front my Dark Mayhem poster and said, "I didn't know you were a supervillain fanatic. Must be the reason why you're doing these little projects of yours."

I felt my face go cold a bit. "Ugh, I just saw it in a magazine and thought it was cool." Nice save, Max. You can't blow your cover especially when you're in front of a smartypants. Even your family will be very disappointed. Not that I'm already a disappointment. "Hey, could you just get out of my room? There's nothing more for you to see here." Good thing I've covered up Colosso's cage and trained him to shut his mouth whenever someone's not around.

"Alright, alright. I'll wait for Phoebe and Cherry upstairs. Geez, calm down," she remarked teasingly. I watched her take the stairs towards my room's exit only to stop on the very last step. "Oh, if ever you need a real laser for your project, I could give you some of mine."

"What?" I asked not believing what I just heard.

She laughed at me softly. "I do these kinds of projects, too. Well, less silly and boyish but something along the lines." My mouth was pressed into a thin line. "Lasers are expensive, Max. I just want to help out. Who knows, maybe you could complete that sword you were planning to make. I could help you out with that, too."

"I don't need it, thanks." I said before turning away from her and continuing to clear up my space.

"Alright, if you say so." I heard her footsteps fade into the distance and finally sat down on my bed. I picked up the blueprint again and examined it. Hmmm… maybe there's nothing wrong with a little help.

 **Author's Note:** I seldom do double updates but I really enjoy writing this fic. As always, please do leave a comment/suggestion/fave/vote all of those stuff. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4: It's Not Just a Jar, Okay

**Author's Notes** : Thank you for the overwhelming support I've been getting for this story. Y'all are so nice. Anyway, this is the fourth chapter. Enjoy! (I still DO NOT own the Thundermans. Merely a fan here.)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Four** : It's Not Just a Jar, Okay

 **PHOEBE**

I think everyone in school will agree with me when I say that Vanessa Golden is a genius. Not only is she smart academically but her logical and practical reasoning are both outstanding. She looks into a problem's detail, no matter how big or small, and immediately come up with a solution in a minute or two. For her, she doesn't treat those problems as a burden. Instead, she looks at it more like an adventure, like another opportunity to learn. Don't get me wrong, I love learning new things but Vanessa's mindset is different. Sometimes it sends a shiver down my spine as she gets into her Sherlock mode. Cherry suggested for her to wear a plaid coat and smoke a pipe. Of course, from all these facts, it was not a surprise to anyone when she tops all of her classes. Even the principal is impressed with her, and believe me, that man is hard to impress. Though I feel guilty about it, I am kind of jealous of all the achievements and praises she have garnered in a course of only almost a month. Nevermind that, I guess. She's still one of my closest friends and if I keep obsessing myself over the good things she accomplished, I will never find time to look for mine. After all, if there is one thing that I have that Vanessa doesn't, it is feeling the adrenaline rush brought by saving the people of Hiddenville.

During her first week, a lot of people thought she was going to be a pretty nerd. I say otherwise. Though she likes to study and be the first to answer a question, hanging out with her is actually enjoyable. She is almost close to perfect. Not only is she polite and kind, but she knows how to break through her limits and have fun. Cherry and I both enjoyed our time we spent shopping with her for the first time. That girl knows a lot about fashion and what's trendy. She wallows in the diversity that is the fashion world. In fact, she assigned a theme for each day of the week. Mondays are vintage days when she would dress up like Audrey Hepburn or Elizabeth Taylor. My personal favorite is gender bend Tuesdays when she would wear men's clothes or put on boyish accessories. To be honest, she looks appealing when she wears a white button-up shirt and a black tie. The guys in school finds her sexy that way. Although I love how she dresses up, Cherry and I both agreed that we are not the biggest fans of fantasy Fridays. Her costumes get a little bit bizarre, if it's the nicest way I could put it. Mr. Beamton once confiscated the pair of fairy wings she wore during one of those days stating that it was "too distracting". I had to agree with our teacher with that, and through a lot of convincing, we actually made her realize that fairy wings or any sort of wings will now receive an official ban for fantasy Fridays. She doesn't have a certain theme during weekends, though, because according to her "Splatburger uniform is too horrid to be even put under a certain fashion category." That, I agree with. Sundays are what she so-call her 'rest days' when she could put on a pair of sweatpants or waltz around in her underwear if she wanted to though, I don't think she ever did (or would ever do) the latter.

"Phoebe are you okay?" I heard Billy ask. My train of thought was suddenly interrupted as I snap back to reality and face my little brother sitting beside me on the floor with his legs crossed. "You were staring at the t. v. for a while. Do you want to turn it on?"

"No," I said with a smile. Looking down on my hands, I saw that I was still clutching the stuffed cat pillow I was helping Nora with for her project. Billy, Chloe, and I decided to help Nora out with school stuff because for some reason, she is actually trying to be on the honors list this year. At first, all of us were surprised. Nora isn't stupid but she isn't the type to take school seriously as well. For her, playing with her siblings are much more important than doing homework. However, I'm not saying that I am against her goal. In fact, I support it with all my heart. It's not every day that we get another honor student in the family. With that, I really mean it's nice to have someone doing well in school other than me. So, if Nora needs her big sister Phoebe to stuff a pink cloth with polyester and then sew it close afterwards, then I will do so. I've managed to produce three pillows in a span of two hours and I was working on my fourth one when I suddenly thought about Vanessa. I proceeded to resume sewing while Billy puts the cat's face by using pre-made patches. Chloe, on the other hand, is helping by testing the fluffiness of the pillows.

I continued doing the fifth pillow when Max suddenly burst inside the room while screaming in delight, making all of us jump. Chloe, who was starting to drift off to sleep, sat up and yelled at my twin brother. "Could you be happy somewhere else?" she managed to say through her little mouth making her curly pig tails bob up and down in down while she remarked.

Max only smirked at her and said, "Sorry, munchkin. Your big bro finally bought something very rare and important for his project." He stepped forward with a weird bounce in his stride. On his left hand, he was holding a small box with a red fragile sign on the side. He, then, opened the box and got a small object out. His arm was outstretched to show us what he was holding.

Knowing Max, I would've expected something nasty or dangerous to come out of the box. It was an anticlimactic moment for us so three pairs of eyes darted his way, dumfounded. "Wow, a jar," Billy said sarcastically.

Max rolled his eyes at him and now held the jar limply on his side. "It's not just a jar, okay." He put the box down and put on a dramatic stance while gesturing in the same manner. "Behold," he started while looking at us with fierceness on his eyes and a wide grin on his face. "The ultimate titanium slash platinum jar that contains one of the coolest types of laser in the world known as…"

 **VANESSA**

I don't particularly aspire to be a super genius nor do I ever want to be popular but from the way everyone is treating me in Hiddenville, I kind of feel nervous that those two are slowly happening. At first, I thought the reason why everyone's so interested with knowing me was because I was the new girl. A new face is refreshing, I agree, but it has almost been a month since we moved here and nothing changed from how the people are acting. If anything did, they only become more interested.

Phoebe and Cherry both warned me about the types of people in school and told me to be careful when associating with them. For instance, they have mentioned that Principal Bradford is the nastiest and laziest principal ever and I should be smart enough to stay away from him. He likes treating the students as if they are trash and gives unmerciful punishments when they cross his line. From what I've heard, he doesn't even like being a principal but only does so because the local government hosts a VIP only party and being in the position, he always gets an invite. I'm still surprised that the school board haven't replaced him yet especially when he does nothing but sit around in his office and be unproductive. However, what surprised me more was the fact that he actually is a bit fond of me after I managed to update and fix the school's security system and his personal computer. I remembered him muttering angrily around the hallways about his computer and venting his frustrations out on the students.

"Sir," I stood in front of him, keeping my guard up, making him stop on his tracks and look at me with disdain. His hair was ruffled and his tie hung loosely on his neck, amplifying the fact that he is feeling stressed that particular day.

"What?" he asked with annoyance clear on his voice. He shot me a deathly stare and I knew if I didn't answer him, he would shove me to the side. So, I found my voice and managed to ask him what's wrong and suggested if I could help. He rolled his eyes at me but proceeded to explain angrily about the failing security systems and his lagging computer. Apparently, if he couldn't fix the problems, he will have to resort to using his own personal money because the school already owes a lot from the local government and he didn't want to add to the debts if it means risking his position.

"I could take a look and see if I could fix it for you," I told him, seriously.

"And what would you want in return if ever you did fix this whole mess?" he said, poison still lingers in his words.

"Oh, nothing," I regarded. He raised a questioning brow at me but straightened his posture. "You don't have to pay me or anything, sir. I just really want to help." I think the reason why he agreed to me fixing all the equipment is because I'm doing it for free. If I were in his position, I wouldn't hesitate doing the same but the real reason why I did it is because I want to gather all the experience that I could when fixing things and helping people. It's in my system. It is a part of me. I know I have been regarded as a show-off in the past but I didn't really mind and I don't really care. I'm happy with what I'm doing. And in all honesty, I think it's okay to show off sometimes just to show people just how idiotic they are.

The principal made me promise not to tell anyone but I know that the teachers know what happened, especially Mr. Beamton. I actually applied some of the things he taught us to solve the problem presented to me by the principal. Since then, he had high hopes for me. As for the other subjects, the teachers also rely on my answers whenever no one raises a hand in class. I'm glad to answer the questions for them and teach something new to my fellow classmates. By acting like this, some people from my class actually approached me to tutor them. I can't help but notice, though, that most of them are guys. I had to refuse, of course. I'm still not fully comfortable with interacting with everyone much less the people who are interested in me for other reasons.

When it comes to Cherry, Phoebe, and their families, I don't feel as uncomfortable. Cherry's family is upbeat just as she is. They invited me over for dinner the other day and it was rather enjoyable than I expected. Cherry and I don't agree on the same stuff always, especially when it comes to academics. I hate to admit it but Cherry could be rather slow but she is still a sweetheart despite that aspect of hers. And her mom's cooking is exceptional, if I say so myself. Phoebe haven't had the time to properly introduce me to her parents since they are always not around whenever I come over but I am very fond of her siblings, especially little Chloe. Her siblings are very sweet just like she is with just a pinch of mischief in their veins. Now, I can't say the same for Max. I mean, really, he's the total opposite of everyone in their family. He was never serious with school, not particularly nice to a lot of people, and is a bit… timid at times. However, what he lacks in social skills, he makes up for his genius projects. I've only been on his room once but it was enough for me to know that he shares the same passion for making and building. Every day he shows off a clever contraption he had made the night before to his friends and never ceases to amaze them, though there were more failed attempts in running his gizmos than there are successful. Still, with a bit of practice, he could improve.

And speaking of the Thundermans, Phoebe invited me once again to visit and help out in Nora's project and babysitting her younger siblings because Max made a hard pass on it for what seemed like the hundredth time. I, of course, accepted since it's Sunday and I didn't have anything better to do. As always, I entered through the back door and was just in time to see Max showing off, yet again, another piece in his project. I took cautious steps towards the living room and heard his voice grow louder as I move nearer to where all of them are staying.

"Behold the ultimate titanium slash platinum jar that contains one of the coolest types of laser in the world known as…" he paused then continued while twisting the lid open. "The Nova Laser!"

It seemed like time stopped for a moment and my brain countered as I skim through some information about lasers. The Nova Laser has an unstable energy that could endanger anyone that comes to contact with it. Though it doesn't cause any breakage or malfunction to an electronic or mechanical device and could actually bounce off of them, it could seriously injure a living organism as it could pass through the skin and deteriorate cells. _Vanessa, think. From the way Max is holding the jar, what is the possible trajectory that the laser will take? Is there something in the room where it could bounce off of? Who is the closest target needed to be saved?_ My head ached from all the calculations going through my brain. Luckily, I got the answers. _Judging from the angle in which Max is holding the jar, the laser could hit the light bulb in the ceiling and curve downward towards… towards…_

Then, I dove as fast as I could to carry Chloe out of the way. Everyone in the room was panicking including Max. _Now that saving Chloe was done, what's next?_ _Right, how to neutralize or contain the laser. Think… Titanium or platinum. My watch!_ With a click, the face of my watch opened up revealing a titanium and platinum compartment inside. I stretched my hand as far as I could and tried to "catch" the laser. It took three attempts for me as the lethal laser bounced off of the living room making the others scream in terror. Finally, the laser bounced off perfectly into my watch, then I closed it. I caught my breath as I listened to the others do as I did, their faces seem a little calmer now. My heart was beating so fast. I found my tongue afterwards and yelled angrily at Max. "Just what do you think you're doing?" I shouted on the top of my voice. His eyes were wide as they stared at me, surprised by my sudden rage.

 **Author's Note** : I think this chapter is longer than I originally planned but I hope it's kind of a treat for you. Anyways, I just want to clear up, again, that everything in this story is fictional. So if you think that the laser thing is impossible and defies every law of Physics, let me just remind you that you are reading a fanfiction about a family of superheroes. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound too negative. Haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See ya!


	5. Chapter 5: Or Else, Octavius

**Author's Note** : I give you all again my thanks for reading and liking this story! I really like to keep things interesting and don't just jump onto the romance. I hope you guys agree with me when it comes to the pacing.

 **Harriet Cleaver** : I'm tweaking a bit with my writing style and I feel like I end a chapter on a cliffhanger, that's when things get interesting. I want to keep the readers up on their toes and not just feed them with closure haha. As for Vanessa, I have stated before that I picture her as Kiernan Shipka (with pink hair, of course). Maybe I'd post a pic on my profile so please check that out. Thanks for the review :3

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Five** : Or Else, Octavius

 **MAX**

I wasn't born in the richest family in the world nor do I have enough connection for people to do me favors so when I planned the Laser Sword 3000, I never put much attention to how much the whole project would cost me. My previous projects were a bit expensive but I could manage to find some funds by skipping a few snacks, fishing my old pockets for coins, tricking my parents, and recycling old materials and scraps from other useless inventions. I tried to do the same for the Laser Sword but there was just one thing that I could never afford—the laser itself.

I started assembling the handle, the circuits, and the tube that will hold the laser. Unfortunately, the villain shops still sell lasers on a tremendous price. I could practically hear my wallet cry. I was originally going to give up on my project three days ago seeing that I didn't have enough money to accomplish it until some kind of miracle happened to me two nights ago in a form of a phone call.

My old 'friend' from Metroburg called, Harriet was her name, and chatted with me for a while. Harriet and I were passionate about being supervillains despite growing up in a family of superheroes so during our younger years, we considered each other as our partner-in-crime. We did projects together and exchanged ideas and materials to accomplish a task. However, since we moved to Hiddenville a couple of years ago, Harriet and I drifted apart. That sounds so cheesy but I think it's the best way I could put it.

Anyway, she suddenly called me one night to catch up on the shenanigans I'm pulling in my own school while she told me how annoying her family still is for saying that she's still going through a phase. Then our conversation shifted to new projects in which I brought up how frustrated I was for not being able to acquire a legitimate, working, deadly laser. Harriet excused herself for a while and I waited for her to find a list of online shops she has been visiting. She gave me a link to a second-hand online shop and told me to check that out if ever they sell whatever it is I was looking for. As soon as we said our goodbyes, I hurriedly booted up my computer and searched for the said website.

My eyes were practically popping out my head once I saw it. They sell everything that I am looking for, from nuts and bolts and tools and wires… to even freaking lasers. Now, I wasn't the most knowledgeable about lasers so when I learned that there were a bunch varieties I could choose from, my heart raced in anticipation. After hours of scrolling I finally settled for the coolest one I could find, the Nova Laser. Its lethality ranges from medium to high which was just appropriate for my project. After all, I never do stuff just for fun, it has to be highly-functional and could help me in being a villain. Though it is a bit pricey than most of the lasers, I thought that it's worth the pay. If it is as dangerous as the description says, then I guess my one-hundred and fifty dollars wouldn't go to waste. Plus, they ship worldwide and the product appears on your doorstep in less than thirty-six hours. I quickly bought the product and sent it to Oyster's address. Mom and Dad doesn't need to know that I was smuggling dangerous lasers inside the house.

"Yeah, well I think that one backfired, doesn't it, Max?" Nora said sarcastically. I only rolled my eyes at her in annoyance. I don't usually think out loud, anyways. Stupid Max. Okay, so maybe I could have been a little more careful but in my defense, I didn't know that the Nova was an unstable laser. It didn't say in the description! No one should expect me to read further than two-hundred fifty characters! That snotty girl, Vanessa, decided to confiscate it and won't give it back to me unless I received appropriate punishment from my parents. She better make sure that she wouldn't use it for herself or I swear I will take revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.

"What were you thinking, Max?" Mom asked hysterically. I kept on looking forward, thinking that if I could ignore her, she would suddenly become invisible. "Because of your reckless actions you could have killed your own sister. Use your brain for once, sweet cheese!" My gaze shifted towards Chloe was now picking on her fingernails for some reason.

This is the part when I start whining. "Come on, Mom. Chloe was more than capable of teleporting herself out the way. I shouldn't take all of the blame for that."

"That is by far the stupidest reason I have ever heard," Phoebe chimed in. Of course, she has to have a say in everything and make me look bad. My goody-two-shoes sister rose from her seat and moved towards Mom's side while crossing her arms. In my opinion, I don't need a third parental figure. "You know that Chloe's too young to control her powers. She was in sudden danger and her mind isn't that fast enough to react. I mean, even you couldn't dodge a ball from P. E. class and you have the Thundersense!" Phoebe exclaimed almost dramatically.

"Hey!" I pointed at her while standing myself up as well. "Whatever happens in gym class, stays in gym class." My expression changed as I look towards Mom who was still sporting her 'You-are-in-trouble-young-man' face. "Look, I'm sorry, okay. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I didn't have much research about the laser and—"

"Oh, so your lack of research is enough reason for you not to be grounded?" Mom cut me off while placing her hands on her hips, readying herself for her nagging stance. "If I killed hundreds of people because I didn't know that my hands shoot electricity, would a sorry suffice?" she added. I tried countering her statement but before I could even speak, she held her right hand up and continued to talk. "No, no more idiotic words from you, Max. You're grounded for a month."

"But Mom!" I started to protest. She glared daggers at me making me stop whining.

"And! And… No more projects until I say so."

"How will I keep myself busy then, huh? Do you want me to read books and turn to a nerd like Phoebe?" It was my sister's turn to glare at me. She didn't scare me that moment. I was too upset about everything else and her stares are the least of my concern.

"Maybe, Max. Maybe I will." Mom said. "You are lucky your father wasn't here. He shouldn't know about any of this unless you want to be in a bigger trouble, are we clear?" Mom said as a signal of dismissal.

I stood there frozen, not knowing what else to do. A month is an awful long time to do nothing. This is unfair, this is _so_ unfair. But for now, I can't do anything but accept my defeat. Hmm… This isn't the first time I've been grounded. Maybe I could escape my family's prying eyes within the month. _Haha. Good one, Max. Never gets old_. Even though I was so annoyed, I gave a long sigh, put my hands in the air and said, "Fine."

 **VANESSA**

"Hey, Vanessa. You're early today. Aren't you supposed to be at your friend's house?" Dad said as he put his newspaper down on the table, next to his coffee. I put my bag down and sat to the couch next to him, lounging in an exaggerated manner and sighed. I looked at him with tired eyes and that was when he looked down from his glasses and quirked an eyebrow at me. "Tired much?"

"Aren't you supposed to read the paper and drink your coffee in the mornings?" I asked, distracted at the sight of him. Dad's routines were strictly followed ever since I could remember. He'd wake up at five am no matter what day it is. He'd go down to the breakfast table and eat egg whites and turkey bits. He'd drink his black coffee while reading the paper then proceed to the shower after dining. Whatever he does during the afternoons, I could never know as I am always at school. He comes home at 6 pm to have dinner with me and mom then watch the news until 10, when he would sleep. I was used to following and tracking down his routines so the sight of him defying his own rules seemed a bit off-putting.

"Work doesn't need me today so I overslept a bit and thought I'd take a lazy day," he answered briefly. He took a sip from his cup before turning to me again. "Anyway, answer my question, please."

I rolled my eyes at him then gave him a small smile before fixing my posture so our eyes would be leveled. I recalled the earlier events of today for a moment.

 _"I… didn't…" Max stuttered, much to my dismay. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets in all the adrenaline caused by the wild scenes. Oh, he will regret this. If it weren't for me, he would have had a dead little sister right now. Ugh, stupid boy. I managed to keep myself calm enough not to bite his head off of his neck. How could he endanger his own family with his recklessness? Does he think this is a toy to play with? I expected more from him as I have seen all the inventions he's done._

 _Steam was practically blowing off my ears as I took one step at a time to face him. Then, with my right hand, I mindlessly slapped him across the face which made his jaw drop even lower. "Do you think this is some kind of household material which you could carelessly release anywhere and anytime you want?"_

 _He turned to me, his face was red as a tomato, probably both from humiliation and anger as I have just slapped him seconds ago. But I don't care. He doesn't have the right to be angry at me. He deserved that quick slap. "Excuse me, but was that really necessary?" I glared at him murderously. This made him falter a bit and take a step back from me. "I know that that's the Nova laser and, yes, it is dangerous, but I didn't know that it wasn't on a stable state! No one told me that, not even the seller."_

 _"Let me guess, an online second-hand shop?" I said to him. Every word was laced with venom and I sure hope he gets poisoned. The arrogant boy's eyes shifted away from me in embarrassment and his mouth was closed. If I wasn't any closer to him, I would have missed the sound of him swallowing in guilt as I have caught him red-handed. "Wow, Max. That is an all-time low."_

 _It was his turn to bellow at me. "What?" he said with a very intimidating look in his face. I was the one to take a step back this time as his inner beast started to peek out of his façade. "You're blaming me for acquiring something on a cheaper price? No one's as rich as you are, Golden girl, so quit lecturing me about how this is an all-time low."_

 _"Huh. I did not say anything about that, Max." And it's true, I didn't. I just hoped that his projects were made of the best quality because judging by Max's persona, I don't think he's the kind of person who settles for imperfections when it comes to his projects (though most of it are a flop). "Besides, I told you, I could have helped you with this. You didn't have to buy off of some kind of cheap and I reckon, illegal, website to continue with your projects. I willingly gave you hand."_

 _"Yes, you did," he said sarcastically while stroking his cheek, the one I've hurt earlier. I didn't need jokes right now. "And if I remember correctly, I straight-up refused your offer."_

 _"That was your loss, Max." I countered. I turned my back at him and started walking towards Phoebe who was holding her breath from witnessing the heated exchange between me and her twin brother, who, may I add, is nothing like her. "Look, Phoebe, I really want to help you out today but I guess, he's your hopeless case now," I said, referring to Max. "I have to stabilize this and make sure that it won't hurt anyone again."_

 _Phoebe nodded her head at me wildly. "Take all the time you need, please. If you could, don't even bring that thing back."_

 _I shook my head at her with a playful smile on my face. "I think that's not what I want to do." I turned my heel to step out of the front door when Max suddenly grabbed my shoulder and turned me forcefully to face him. I felt a shiver down my spine at his contact and our distance wasn't helping. I could smell his boyish cologne and I have to admit, it wasn't as strong as I expected it to be. Boys like Max tend to practically bathe in cologne._

 _"Where are you going, Golden girl? I still need my laser back."_

 _"And what? Attempt to kill Billy this time?" He was taken aback from my statement. "Thought so." I turned towards his younger siblings and said, "Don't let Max go unpunished. Tell your parents about everything that happened or else."_

 _"Or else, what?" Max narrowed his eyes at me at the sound of my threats._

 _I turned back to face him. "Or else you wouldn't get your pretty laser back, Octavius."_

 _He stepped back, his hands in the air and his face was so comically surprised I could have laughed right there and then. But I didn't, for the sake of the tension. Phoebe mentioned how much he hated his middle name. I guess I've put my newly acquired knowledge to good use. I bet he's scared of me now._

"That's a stubborn fellow," Dad said. I was so caught up in my story that I didn't notice him digging his nose back to the black and white newspaper. "Reminds me of the younger kids I had to mentor back at my work. Stubborn maniacs, those are." He clicked his tongue thrice on the roof of his mouth while shaking his head from side to side.

I let out a soft laughter escape my lips. "Yeah, but his siblings aren't like that."

"I bet they aren't," he commented. I saw his blue eyes take a peek at me on the side of the paper once again and said, "And the laser? Where is it?"

I raised my right hand at him and showed the face of my watch. "Right here." I tapped the glass with my index finger before continuing. "I still have to stabilize it before I give it back to him unless I want to see someone's eyes burned to a gooey mess."

I heard my dad shudder a bit. He was the sensitive kind, which contrasts to his over-manliness sometimes. "I didn't need the mental picture. Anyway, you should be on your way to tame that laser down. I'll be right here when you need me."

 **Author's Note** : Another chapter done! Wooh! I hope you guys keep on reading and tuning in to my updates. I really enjoy writing these. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to feed the monster at the bottom of this page with your words. Haha. See ya!

As per request, this is how I picture Vanessa Golden looks like. ( plus. google 113348764065043929685/ posts / YNogKj4HxBn) Please delete the spaces I put in between. :3


	6. Chapter 6: You Shouldn't Starve a Girl

**Author's Note** : Hello, everyone, we meet again. Hahaha. This update has been long overdue, I'm sorry. I meant to update last week but some work still presented itself to me, not to mention I'm working on my other stories. Anyway, please stick until the end for a bit of an announcement, nothing serious, though. (I still do NOT own the Thundermans)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Six** : You Shouldn't Starve a Girl

 **VANESSA**

It has been five days since the laser incident in the Thundermans' residence and yet I still haven't returned the Nova to Max. It turns out that the said laser's structure proved to be more complex and stabilizing it required meticulous precision and more time. My machine at home was a bit outdated for the process so I had to upgrade it, with Dad's help. But even with the newly improved program, the laser still needs about a week for it to be fully stabilized without losing its lethality. I had to tell Max this thousands of times when he practically breathed down my neck just to get his laser back. Fortunately, we only share a few classes, giving me more time to avoid him.

"You know, you could pull off glitter stickers quite well," Cherry said while eyeing the little stickers I put on the outer corners of my eyes. "If I didn't know you well enough, I'd say you're not from this era," she added. On Thursdays, I transform into a hippie/flower child. For this week, I decided to put some sparkle in my eyes just for the glamour and because my mom bought me some flash stickers the other day. "Straight from Coachella, too."

"Hey, 'Nessa," Phoebe called out without looking at me. Her face is buried in our Physics book ever since Monday. I don't know why she studies extra hard for that particular subject when she's one of the students who excels in it. Mr. Beamton is the best teacher ever, he seems like he never fails anyone. "Do you want to go to my house and get started with our project? You don't have Splatburger today, right?" This time, she looked up at me while grabbing her yogurt cup and having a spoonful of the dairy. For Physics, Mr. Beamton wanted us to research about the history of electricity and find some keypoints that will help us understand more its application in real life. I was lucky enough to get paired with Phoebe, I know she won't neglect her part of the project. I nodded my head at her in approval.

Just as I was going to have a bite of my sandwich, out of nowhere, Maximus Octavius Thunderman snatched it away and distanced himself from our table before I could even react. "Hey! That's mine, give it back," I whined. Ugh, he's so annoying. He just smirked at me mischievously and gingerly took a bite of my turkey sandwich. I rolled my eyes at him and decided to just brush it off. If I keep on arguing with him, I'd just have to sink down to his level and believe me, I don't want to go there. I turned back to Cherry and Phoebe, who looked annoyed like I do, and just mouthed 'boys' at them. As if on cue, a Ziploc bag containing a decent-looking sandwich was placed in front of me. Confused, I looked up to the person who just willingly gave me their food. One of Max's friends, Oyster, looked back at me with a smile. I straightened up and smiled back at him. "Is this for me?" He nodded. "Thank you."

"Dude, you're not supposed to give food to the nerd," Max managed to say through mouthfuls of bread. He was so disgusting. "I'm punishing her for not giving back what's mine and now you're just flinging her food at her like she deserves it," he added.

I narrowed my eyes at him. So that's what it's all about, 'punishing' me. For a guy with his brains, I was a bit shock. He is really wasting his intelligence. "I told you, it takes at least a week for the Nova to be stabilized. If you would have been more careful, I wouldn't have confiscated it."

"Nova?" I heard Cherry ask Phoebe.

"It's a laser thing for a project," Phoebe replied in an instant. She immediately turned back her attention to her book.

Oyster seemed oblivious to whatever's happening because he just smirked at Max. Or maybe he's used to this kind of tactic that Max does to other people. "I don't know what you're talking about…" Ah, so I was right. "…but you shouldn't starve a girl. That's breaking the bro code, Max." For some reason, I feel like there's no 'bro code' and if there was, the rules wouldn't even involve girls. Even Max's face scrunched up at what his friend said. No matter, I ignored the two and proceeded munching on Oyster's newly-given sandwich. This was more than decent. It tastes astounding, too.

 **MAX**

The truth's out, Oyster likes Vanessa. Which is _so_ annoying in my part. Don't get me wrong, I don't care if he likes the Golden girl, I just can't believe that he _would_ like the Golden girl. The annoying thing about it is that Oyster thinks it's normal for guys to share their _feelings_ with each other. He babbles constantly about Vanessa and it's driving me nuts. It was always Vanessa this, Vanessa that. He doesn't even concentrate in band practice anymore. Sure, majority of the guys in school like Vanessa but Oyster's feelings were a little bit deeper, and I can tell. Which is another annoying thing. I could tell it when he sneaks glances at her during class. I could tell when he writes her name on the back of his notebook when he thinks no one was looking. I could perfectly read the way his pencil moves to write each letter. It bugs me to an extent.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Gideon asked while nibbling on his soggy French fries.

"I don't," I said bluntly, not looking at him because I was too busy drawing up some more outlines for the Laser Sword. Once I get the Nova, everything will be in place. "I just find her too good for my liking, just like Phoebe." It's okay when I say it aloud. The cafeteria is bustling with students and we've chosen to sit a few tables away from the girls. I'm sure with the given factors, they wouldn't be able to make out what I had just said. My eyes rested at Oyster for a few seconds. He's still drooling over the sight of the Golden girl. I followed his gaze and looked at Vanessa laughing over whatever it is that Cherry showed her on her phone. I swatted his arm rather forcefully making him look at me with surprise. "Quit fantasizing about her. Could you just date someone who is not _her_?"

Oyster's expression changed from annoyed to amused. "Why does it bother you so much? Don't tell me you're also crushing on Vanessa?"

"Ew!" I exclaimed. I could feel myself gagging at the thought. "Never in a million years would that happen. I mean, just look at her." My three companions all did. Gideon told me that he liked what he saw. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have made that remark.

"Don't tell me you think she's ugly," Oyster said.

I don't, though I will never admit that to anyone. I ignored him and went back to drawing some diagrams. Vanessa Golden isn't ugly, in fact, I genuinely think she's pretty, though I don't think there's something significantly special when it came to her looks. Her eyes had the same color as chocolate, her little nose was dusted with a handful of tan freckles, and her lips weren't thin nor plump but just right. She wasn't too tall nor too short. She dresses in an interesting manner. And, yes, I do find her pink hair kind of unique. On some days they look like cotton candy. I shook my head. What am I thinking? I don't want to contemplate on the Golden girl's appearance. She's average-looking, in my opinion. Though I kind of envy her just a little when it comes to her brains. That girl knows a _lot_.

 **VANESSA**

Mrs. Albright handed me my results from Monday's quiz and as usual, I got a perfect score. The figure '100' stared right at me encircled in bright red. "Congratulations, Ms. Golden. Perfect again. And, again, the one and only." I sneaked some glances towards my other classmates' papers and confirmed that I was, again, the only one to get a hundred. A few rows down and I heard Mrs. Albright say to one of the boys, "You got the lowest score, Oyster. You should really bring in you're A-game if you want to pass this class." I turned my head and saw the defeated look that was on Oyster's face. Poor boy, I should help him. After all, his chicken sandwich was on point.

I didn't know I was staring longer than I intended to until Max loudly remarked, "Take a picture, it will last longer." My eyes snapped in his direction and I threw him a murderous glare. Unfortunately, he was looking at his own paper. I caught a glimpse of his test score. 94. Not bad considering Phoebe mentioned he's a slacker.

"What's your problem?" I asked, noticeably irritated. He just shrugged his shoulders then rose from his seat. He slung his backpack on one of his shoulders, put his hands in his pockets, and proceeded to exit the room just in time for the bell to ring. As always, the other students scrambled wildly among themselves, desperately trying to leave the room as fast as they can. Unlike them, I took my time. Mrs. Albright said goodbye to me before she leaves the room, leaving me all by myself. I gathered my notes and neatly placed them inside my bag. That was when I noticed that I wasn't entirely alone.

Oyster still looked at his paper with an upset expression. Clearly, he must have been disappointed. I grabbed my bag and walked towards him slowly as to not startle him. "Hey," I said.

He looked at me in an instant then smiled. "Hi. I thought everyone left the room," he remarked with a confused face. I giggled at the sight of his puzzled look. He asked me if I wanted to leave together to head to our lockers. I nodded my head in acceptance and so we started making our way towards our destination.

During our walk, he didn't say anything and neither did I. We were taking our steps in silence, contradicting the loudness brought by the students in the hallways. Finally, I decided to ask him about his test scores. "I heard you're not doing well in Biology," I said, trying my best not to upset him even more.

"Yeah, Mrs. Albright's been very disappointed," he said with a low voice. "I just can't concentrate sometimes. I read my books and take my notes but I absorb less than half of what I'm studying."

"A lot going on in your mind?" I asked teasingly. Surprisingly, I managed to prod a smile out of him. He looked at me, flashing his perfect white teeth. "You know, if you want to, I could tutor you during my free time. But it's okay if you want to decline," I said. I like helping people in more ways than one. I'm pretty good with academics and I'm sure I could help Oyster with that. After all, I had to say thanks for the sandwich.

"Nah, I don't want to be a burden," he said.

"You're not. I just simply want to help. But if you really don't want to—"

"Okay, fine." He cut me off then started chuckling to himself. "So, I guess we need to make some sort of schedule?" he asked. I asked for a copy of his class schedule and some after school activities he's having then asked for his mobile number so that I could just call him when I'm done organizing our tutoring sessions. He agreed to my decision and thanked me for my offer. Personally, I think Oyster is a good person who is willing to learn and I am more than happy to teach him. Who knows, maybe I'd be an effective teacher.

 **Author's Note** : This is an _eh_ chapter but it's originally going to be longer. I decided to cut my supposed chapter into two because it was too long for my liking. That means there's going to be another update tomorrow! Yay! Anyway, for the announcement thingy, I'm thinking of doing a special chapter for the Holidays but I can't think of a concrete idea. So, I'm asking you, my readers, to help me out with the Christmas chapter for DESI. If you're interested to pitch in some of your ideas, please feel free to leave it as a review or send me a PM in my profile. Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7: I Pressed the Wrong Button

**Author's Note** : This kind of like part two if I pick up from the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy it! (I still do NOT own the Thundermans)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Seven** : I Pushed the Wrong Button

 **MAX**

"You what?" I am hysterically having this legitimate conversation with Oyster. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with crushing on the Golden girl but he took a seriously obvious advantage over the matter. He's really accepting tutoring sessions with her. God, this boy is hopeless. You don't just flaunt around your feelings like it's part of your outfit, sweet cheese!

"I don't see why you should react like this. If anything, shouldn't you be patting my back for being witty at least for once?" Unbelievable. I looked at him like his question physically hurt me. He rolled his eyes and pushed me playfully. "Look, man, I don't care what your deal is with her but I am flopping Biology and I need to raise my grades up." I wanted to tell him how pathetic his excuse was. I know he's only trying to be on Vanessa's good side so he could eventually date her. That boy must be mad in the head. Does he have a nerdy girl fetish? First my sister now the Golden girl. But before I could even open my mouth, he turned away and exited the building.

After closing my locker door, I made my way to the parking lot while fishing for my motorcycle's keys in my pocket. I had to rummage through some candy wrappers before I finally retrieved it. I was strutting mindlessly towards my vehicle only to be stopped short by a petite girl blocking my way. I tipped my head and narrowed my eyes at the Hippie in front of me. Vanessa was biting her lips and worry was clear in her eyes. As soon as she saw me, her face brightened in relief. So she was waiting for me? "What do you want?" I asked rudely.

"Hey, I was wondering if you know where Phoebe is? We're supposed to go together at your house thirty minutes ago and I couldn't find her."

"Cell phones have been invented now. Call her and don't bother me," I said while wearing my helmet on. I was about to mount my motorcycle when she opened her annoying mouth again.

"That's the thing, I couldn't reach her, too." I secretly glanced at my watch and saw that it was already 5 PM. Phoebe is probably shopping with Cherry and forgot about their meetup. "I think I know where she is. Hop on, I'll take you to our house."

I don't know why I just offered her a ride and it seems that she's as confused as I was. She gave me a disbelieving look and a faltering grin. "Are you sick? You don't just do good deeds in random." I agree. I had to mentally slap myself to wake me up. I must have been tired and forgot that I was talking to the Golden girl and not one my friends. Before I take back what I just said, Vanessa grabbed the other helmet I've secured behind the seat and hopped on to sit behind me. I felt both uncomfortable as soon as I let go of the brakes and zoom away from the school. I knew Vanessa felt the same way because she has been tentatively placing her hands on my sides for support but letting go before we have a prolonged contact. This was a bad idea and I am never going to offer her a ride again. Luckily, the ride home was short and we arrived at the garage after about fifteen minutes. She quickly got off the motorcycle, removed her helmet, and then said her 'thanks'. I didn't have time to slip in a side remark because she walked fast towards our back door and entered our house as if she lived there.

 **VANESSA**

Chloe was the one who greeted me as soon as I stepped inside the Thundermans' residence. She was wearing a pink dress with pink ruffles on the skirts when she said hi to me. "Nowa, Biwy, pwetty giwl is hewe!" she shouted out of nowhere. I'm so used to her speech impediment that I could make out the words she just said. I felt my cheeks heat up at the indirect compliment. Her two other siblings rushed down from upstairs and hurried towards the kitchen just to give me a hug. Billy was wearing an eyepatch and I noticed that he drew a Sharpie mustache on his face while Nora was sporting a tiara and a pair of blue fairy wings. Not bad for a cosplay. "'Nessa!" they said in unison while giving me a very tight embrace. I hugged them back and asked if Phoebe was home yet.

"Oh, she told us to tell you that she's shopping with Cherry for a while to look for materials for Cherry's project. She's trying to help out," Nora filled me in with the details. I wish Phoebe would have called, though, but maybe she's running low on battery.

"Kids, please put away your toys! You're big enough to do that," someone called out from the living room. Nora and Billy let go of me and walked closer to the breakfast table. A few seconds passed and a brunette woman wearing a purple blouse and jeans entered the kitchen. Must have been Mrs. Thunderman. As if on cue, Max entered while ruffling his hair. The older woman's face brightened up. "Max! Aren't you going to introduce to me your _friend_?" I've met enough moms to know what she was implying. I internally gagged at her assumption. Both Max and I looked at each other then shuddered.

"We're barely acquaintances," he said before opening the fridge to scavenge for food.

I stepped forward and stretched out my right hand in front of Mrs. Thunderman. "Hi, I'm Vanessa Golden, Phoebe's friend."

She gladly shook it and smiled at me widely. "Oh, you're the kid who saved Chloe from Max's idiocy. I'm so glad to finally meet you." Right, I've never met Mr. and Mrs. Thunderman because whenever I'm around, their always running some errands or going on dates. "Please call me Barb."

"I think I'll stick to Mrs. Thunderman for a while," I said while letting go of her hand. I was never comfortable with calling my friends' parent's by their first names. It just seems a bit off-putting. I certainly wouldn't address someone older than me by 'Barb'. It's weird.

Mrs. Thunderman told me to go in the living room with the little kids while she prepares our afternoon snacks. I obediently complied because there's nothing better to do. Besides, I like hanging out with the little kids. I'm an only child and having other siblings has been one of my dreams. Unfortunately, my parents decided that they only want to raise a single kid. I envy my friends for that. Phoebe has a big family as opposed to me. Nora is the fashionista sister I've never had. Every time I came to visit, she always shows me her new clothes and asks for my 'fashion' advice. Of course, being a fashionista myself, I always have tips for her. "Do you like my fairy wings, 'Nessa? Mom bought it for me three days ago and I think I'm in love," Nora said while stroking the swirly patterns on her wings. I can't help but miss my own pair that was still in the hands of Mr. Beamton. Bummer. I nodded my head and complimented the designs on her wings.

Though Billy is older than Nora, he sort of acts like the youngest child. He's not very bright, I must say, but he is still a sweetheart. He likes making up his own games which I'm quite fascinated to. Billy showed me the deck of cards that his dad gave to him and since then, we've been playing Poker whenever we get bored. What weirds me out about him sometimes, though, is the fact that he likes hugging people. I want to think that I've grown accustomed to his embrace but I still find it a bit weird up to this day.

Chloe, the youngest Thunderman, is a mixture of Billy and Nora. She likes dressing up and playing games, as well. I find her extremely adorable especially when she tries pronouncing words with the letters 'R' and 'L'. Somehow, those two letters become 'W'. She was also the first one of the three to compliment me when I arrived at their residence. She calls me 'pretty girl' or 'princess' and she is especially fond of my pink hair. She said that it reminds her of cotton candy.

"Hey, Golden girl," Max said while holding an apple on his left hand. Ah, of course, the most despicable of all the Thunderman children. Max is everything that his siblings are not. "Mom asked if you're allergic to peanuts."

"I'm not," I answered bluntly. He came back to the kitchen once again and left the four of us in the living room. We were all seated on the carpet, pretending to have tea and strategizing how we would rescue Chloe's stuffed ladybug from the hands of Pirate Billy's evil twin, Pirate Milly. In the middle of our heated conversation, a second tv rose from the bookshelves.

"Alert. Alert. Hank Thunderman Approaching." The AI said while flashing the same words in the screen. Billy stood up and went towards the door while I asked Nora what that was all about. She just said that it's their new fancy doorbell.

From the orange door came a tall but stout man with greying hair, carrying a bag of groceries. All of us stood up at the sight of him but he narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. "Hi, I'm Vanessa Golden, Phoebe's friend," I greeted to him as we shake hands.

His face quickly brightened up. "Oh, you're the new girl from Cali!"

"Indeed, I am."

Mrs. Thunderman, now holding a tray full of brownies entered the room and gave her husband a kiss. She told him to put the groceries in the kitchen while instructing us to dig in to the fudgy brownies she just made. I let the kids go first before I grab some. Max, being the childish boy that he is, grabbed four big squares and rushed towards his slide. I only picked one and said no more to their offer. "Vanessa," Mrs. Thunderman called out. "Phoebe might run a bit later. If you want you could stay for dinner?" she inquired.

"No, that won't be necessary," I said while shaking my head. "I'll give her until six and then, I'll leave. Thanks for the offer, though," I added.

She frowned a bit at me. "Come on, just this one time. I could call your parents if you want me to." I still told her no but she kept on insisting. It wasn't long for Mr. Thunderman to join in in persuading me into staying for dinner followed by the three other Thunderman kids. If this many people kept asking me to stay, it would be very impolite for me to decline now. I finally raised my arms and gave in to their request. I quickly called Dad that I will not be home for dinner. He only told me to have fun and said he'll pick me up at seven. Parenting done right.

Six PM came but there was still no sign of Phoebe. Apparently, Cherry is having a lot of trouble in her project so she might not be home until eight. I told her that it's alright and we should get started on our own project tomorrow. Finally, we all sat down in the dining table while Mrs. Thunderman prepared the meal of the night: Lasagna and hot wings. I'm a sucker for chicken and pasta so I will be enjoying this.

The Thundermans are officially on my list of good and trustworthy people. I learned that Mr. and Mrs. Thunderman are retired business people. However, since they have five children, Mr. Thunderman is helping his friend in selling land properties while Mrs. Thunderman writes some journals during her spare time.

"How about your parents, what do they do?" Mr. Thunderman asked halfway through his second plate of lasagna.

"My dad's an engineer and sometimes works as a Physics lecturer in Hiddenville U. Mom's running a business in the food industry that's why I learned how to bake," I explained. They listened to me intently but Chloe just kept asking me if I could make some cupcakes for her since I know how to bake. I told her I could which made her grin widely.

"Phoebe told me that you're an inventor, too, like Max. Well, not _like_ Max," Mrs. Thunderman said which made me smile. My eyes shifted towards Max who was narrowing his eyes on his Mom while stabbing his hot wings forcefully with a fork. I nodded my head at Mrs. Thunderman and told her that I've always wanted to be an inventor and engineer like my dad. From a very young age, he taught me all about tools and simple strategies and making simple projects. "You remind me one of Max's friends, Harriet, from our old home. She like inventing stuff, too, but she's kind of leaning on my bad side," Mrs. Thunderman added while shrugging her shoulders.

"Harriet, for your information, is a tad cooler than Vanessa," Max countered, defending his friend.

"Yeah, right," Billy remarked sarcastically earning him a death glare from his brother. The younger boy's eyes widened then resumed clearing his plate without looking at Max. Annoyed, Max excused himself from the table and practically threw his plate in the sink before proceeding once again to his room via his slide. Mrs. Thunderman apologized for Max's behavior but I assure her that it was alright. I was used to this kind of Max, after all.

However, I'm not going to let him off the hook just like that. Seeing that I still have thirty minutes before Dad arrives to pick me up, I decided to go downstairs and confront Max. I know he's still acting cranky because I won't give him his laser back.

"I did not give you permission to enter," he said without looking at me. I still descended the stairs and saw him just finishing the thing he's wielding. The bright sparks blinded me for a moment. When he was done, he turned to me and raised the protective gear away from his face. "Are you deaf? I just said you're not allowed in here."

"Are you mentally incompetent? Your mom said no projects until she says so," I countered, remembering the punishment that Mrs. Thunderman gave him for nearly killing Chloe. He rolled his eyes at me and proceeded to put away his tools in one of the glass shelves he owned. I, on the other hand, took the liberty to go over the stuff on his work table. There were wires and nuts and bolts and even chemicals spread across his work space. _Boys and their toys_ , I thought. I wonder how he could work in such an unorganized space. Doesn't he ever have accidents with all these hazardous solutions he keeps lying around? He ignored me for quite a while and proceeded to boot up his computer to search for some project ideas that I know he will keep on drawing up on his blueprints. " ? Isn't that for supervillains?" I asked him. That was strange, these sorts of sites are usually blocked from non-superhero users, or so I was told.

He froze for a moment, still not looking at me. Instead, he confessed, "I'm just looking for something that will help me fix my controller." He rose from his seat and threw a controller at me. Luckily, I caught it just in time. I inspected it and noticed that it looks like a typical Playstation controller with a black casing. I raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. He folded his arms. "It's supposed to power up that thing," he said while nodding towards a small contraption that looked like an ordinary electric fan with a huge metal box at the back. I stepped in closer and inspected it. There were USB ports and electric sockets on the box and a red button encased in acrylic.

"A portable generator?" I asked. He confirmed my assumption by nodding his head.

"Our first months here in Hiddenville proved a bit difficult especially when power keeps getting cut off. And in the summers, during a heatwave, electricity seemed out of reach," he started to explain. I straightened up and fixed my glasses while he proceeded to walk around the generator. "Electricity is essential especially during those times so I'm trying to invent a generator for my personal use, at least, without it using too much fuel or cost me anything expensive."

"How would that work?" I asked further.

"The controller," he said while pointing at the thing I was holding. "The insides of this are made with cogs and such that move around to recharge it. But for that to be possible, I have to use the controller and 'play'" he said with air quotes "with the cogs. Every ten minutes of playing is equal to three hours' worth of power."

"Wow," was all I could manage to say. Though his design was a bit more unusual than most generators, I find it quite interesting. But there was a catch. "So… why in the supervillains' website? Why not just consult ordinary search engines?"

"Is that really important?" he asked, annoyed. I only shrugged. I guess not? I don't know. I couldn't tell for myself. I asked Max for a screwdriver which he handed me in an instant. I opened the controller and saw that there was nothing wrong with it. There were no cookie crumbs as well, unlike last time. So, with his permission, I opened the back of the generator. My forehead crinkled when, again, I did not see anything unusual. That is, until I accidentally pushed the red button. "Vanessa!" Max exclaimed as he forcefully carried me away from the machine before it exploded on my face. The explosion caused a loud bang and we were forced to crash-land on his bed. My face was practically buried on his chest while he held me in place, shielding his own face from what just happened. Instantly, smoke engulfed the whole room and alerted the people from upstairs to go to Max's room.

"Max? What is going on here?" I heard Mr. Thunderman exclaim with too much worry on his voice. But I couldn't see the other people. A thick cloud of smoke swallowed the room and all I could see was Max's gray shirt and his pale face, now with a red scratch on his cheek. It must have been from a flinging part of the generator. I felt my hands shake from the events.

Max looked at me with wide eyes and whispered almost too concerned, I swear I couldn't have believed it was him. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" My eyes started watering from the smoke but I managed to say yes to him before my vision blurred from the tears. We stayed like that for a couple of seconds before we both realized the position we were in. We practically pushed each other away and stood up from his bed. I faked coughing to avoid the awkwardness. Suddenly, a hand emerged from the gray cloud and dragged me upstairs. Mrs. Thunderman passed a cup of cold water for me to drink. I felt my throat regain its moisture while my eyes stopped tearing up.

"What happened?" Mrs. Thunderman asked hysterically.

"I accidentally pushed the wrong button in Max's projects. I'm sorry," I apologized sincerely. Though she was clearly still in shock, her features softened a bit and told me that it was alright. A few more seconds passed and Max was also brought upstairs by Mr. Thunderman. We locked eyes for a second, making his cheeks flush from the earlier incident. I quickly brushed it off and told myself that we were just in a state of shock and panic. During those times, our brains shut off. Before anyone could acknowledge more what just happened, my phone rang.

"Vanessa? I think I just reached the Thundermans' house. I'm outside," Dad called, signaling his presence.

 **Author's Note** : So that was the second update. I still don't have a legit idea for the Holiday chapter but I assure you that I will be posting another chapter on the 25th so stay tuned for that, too. Anyway, leave a like or review as it is much appreciated. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8: It's Obvious, Max

**Author's Note** : Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying your day with family and friends. And if y'all are all alone during this day, go on and grab a cup of coffee or hot coco, throw on a blanket and watch some Christmas-y movies. But first, since you are here already, why don't you go on and read another chapter I put up? I hope you enjoy! (Still, the Thundermans is not mine.)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Eight** : It's Obvious, Max

 **VANESSA**

"And are you sure there was nothing else that could have harmed you besides the exploding generator?" Phoebe asked for what seemed like a hundredth time. Again, I told her 'no'. Three days have passed since I accidentally endangered my life and Max's when I mindlessly pushed the self-destruct button on his generator project. I can't believe I let myself do something so stupid. It was big and red and literally screamed 'DO NOT PUSH ME UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE'. I am forever guilty of that moment. But in my defense, why did Max even put it on his project in the first place? If he so badly wanted it to function properly, I don't think having a self-destruct button would be of any help. Besides, even if the explosion was done on purpose just to get rid of the machine, it would cause such a big mess.

Phoebe has been breathing down my neck since Friday because she was feeling too guilty about not being around last Thursday night. According to her, if only she just went home to start with the project, the incident wouldn't even have occurred. She is too nice to look out for my well-being but it was starting to get a bit too much for my liking. So, I just reminded her that it was only an accident and maybe it was meant for it to happen. Though, I've never been a big believer of destinies and fates myself. Cherry did need her help for a project, after all.

With chocolates in my hand, we entered the Thundermans' house via backdoor only to find Mrs. Thunderman concocting chicken soup in the kitchen. Phoebe hugged her mom and opened one of the cupboards to get a small bowl. I flashed a smile at Mrs. Thunderman which she returned in an instant. "You're here to visit Max?" she asked.

"Er…" That sounded a bit weird to me for some reason. "Yeah, I guess," I replied. If I was left unharmed by the generator, I couldn't say the same for Max. Apparently, a sharp piece of the machine found its way towards one of his feet causing for it to have a nasty wound. No one noticed it after I left last Thursday. Even Max was oblivious to the fact that he was walking funny. The adrenaline must have gotten the best of him. According to Nora, whom I talked to through a call, he was rushed immediately to the hospital for the metal to be surgically removed. He still couldn't walk right now without the help of his crutches. He also missed classes last Friday, though I doubt he's sad about that. Of course, since I am a human being with a functional beating heart, I felt guilty about what happened. The incident was sort of mostly my fault.

I paced around the living room for quite a bit, waiting for Phoebe with the soup, when Nora and Chloe descended from upstairs and rush towards me. Both of them hugged me at the same time. I asked where Billy was. "He went to swimming practice with Dad," Nora answered. I didn't know Billy was in to sports. "Are you here to visit Max?" she asked.

"Yeah, you told me about getting him rushed to the hospital and I kinda worried," I asked with sincerity in my voice. The sisters looked at each other with knowing smiles while Nora wiggled her eyebrow at her younger sibling. Their exchange made my brow raise. As if on cue, Phoebe emerged from the kitchen while holding a tray containing a bowl of steaming chicken soup. She signaled me to go follow here downstairs. "See you later," I said to Nora and Chloe before I turned my heel and follow Phoebe.

"Max?" My brunette companion called from the door. "Vanessa's here, can we come in?" A few seconds passed before we heard a muffled word of approval from inside the room. I opened the door for Phoebe so she could enter before I did. She walked over to Max and placed the tray on his lap. "Eat up."

Max sat up, grabbed the spoon, and swirled the soup around before bringing some towards his mouth. He moaned and said, "Mom always delivers." He was sitting on his bed, his right foot, which was in a cast, was slightly inclined on a pillow. The memory of the incident flashed in my mind again and my chest ached for some reason. Now I feel bad, really, really bad. Max took a few more spoonfuls before he turned to me with an annoyed face. "What?" he asked. I must have been staring at him longer than I should. I was still frozen in place despite him acknowledging my presence.

Phoebe tapped my shoulder and whispered, "I think I'll leave you two here for a while," before going out of Max's room/lair. I followed her as she took quick strides out then slowly turned my head back to lock eyes with Max once more.

"You feeling okay?" I asked. What a pathetic question.

Max pursed his lips, nodded, and said, "I guess. Though the cast kind of still itches." I let myself smile only a little while he shrugged his shoulders. "Why are you here, anyway? Attempting to blow up another project of mine?" he asked in a mocking tone, attention back on the soup.

"No, I don't think it's a pleasure to do the same bad thing twice," I retorted. It was his turn to smile. No, smirk, as he much prefer to call it. Feeling the ambience slightly turn lighter, I took this as an opportunity to walk towards him. His eyes followed my every move and in my surprise, he scooted a bit to the side, making room for me to sit down.

 **MAX**

There was no available seats in sight, okay? I just made room for her to sit because I reckon her feet have been aching judging from the pointed shoes she's wearing. I know that Phoebe picked her up on the bus stop and the walk here isn't as short as it's supposed to be. Although, consider this gesture to be only done once. I am not willing to repeat it no matter what the situation. Next time, she should consider not wearing those shoes.

She hesitated at first but the Golden girl didn't need a word from me to sit herself down. "Listen, I didn't mean to do it. I was careless at that time and I take full responsibility of it," she said with genuine sadness in her voice.

"Darn right, you should," I remarked with a huff and a smirk. She narrowed her eyes at me, I only smirked wider.

"I'm trying to apologize here, Max, and you're not helping," she said, annoyed. I rolled my eyes at her and continued to sip on the soup. I am thankful for Mom's existence. "Anyway, like I said, I am apologizing sincerely about what happened and I wish you to get well soon. After all, I bet you need two fully-functional feet in order to cause mayhem." We both chuckled.

"And why do you think I should forgive you? That thing was painful, you're lucky the doctors were skilled to be able to remove it."

She opened the red bag she was holding and fished out something inside. "Because I am giving you this," it was a box of chocolates. Without second thoughts, I grabbed the box from her and placed it on the tray. I opened it eagerly and practically inhaled at least three pieces out of a dozen. I didn't care if she looked, I needed the sweets. The Golden girl chuckled more at the sight of me wolfing down and satisfying my need of sugar. "Nora said your parents were abstaining you of eating sweets and junk food so that your foot would heal faster," she said. "But no one should tell you what to do, and I say that, too, for myself." Thank you, Golden girl. At least in this moment, we agree on something.

I continued chewing on the chocolates, letting it melt in my mouth. I noticed that each piece has a distinct flavor and texture; some were fruity, some were dark, some were chewy, and some had a crunch. My brow rose at the taste of the chocolates. I couldn't put my finger as to what brand or variety these were. When I was on my fifth piece out of a dozen, I decided to stop and lick the sweet residues off of my fingers. I turned to her and asked, "Where did you buy these?"

"Oh, I made them. It's sort of my thing," she replied with a smile. Now, I am not certain why she would be bothering to make these. Did she poison me somehow? But do I really care? These were too delicious to be poisonous. "I didn't poison them," she said while rolling her eyes. I didn't know if she sensed my inner debates or if I thought out loud again. Stupid Max. "So… is it boring here, just lying on your bed instead of coming up with new ideas for a project?" she asked to stir away the conversation from her little gift.

Having a civil conversation with the Golden girl seemed a bit out of character, to be honest. We always bicker and argue, after all. "Yeah, a bit." It'd be impolite if I refused sparking up a conversation. "I couldn't draw blueprints properly. All I'm left to do is watch tv or play on my console." I don't know why I kept on talking. I guess no one could blame me. For the last three days I was practically locked in my room unable to move. My meals are brought down every day and the last proper, interesting, rather, conversation I had was with Oyster when he visited me last Friday. The rest of the band couldn't make it and I didn't have a particular set of friends. I'm lucky enough to have Oyster consider me as his.

"What games do you play?" she asked. The thing about the Golden girl is she is an open book. Her emotions and thoughts were obviously written on her face. So when she asked me that, it was crystal clear in her brown eyes that she is really interested in knowing.

I set aside the tray on my work table, moved beside my bed so I could do some work while lying down, and leaned towards my other cabinet packed with games. I picked out my three favorite ones at the moment and tossed it at her. She scanned the three titles and smiled when she rested her eyes on one of them. She turned the cover so it would face me. "You play 'Gun After Tea'?" she asked with glee in her voice. I nodded my head. I folded my arms, leaned back, and asked her if she played it, too. "Yeah, I do. It's one of my most favorite games." I wouldn't be surprised. 'Gun After Tea' is sort of like a detective game based around the laws of Physics without losing the essence of action. Some levels are quite difficult, to be honest, adding to the thrill of wanting to find a solution to the problem. This is definitely Vanessa's cup of tea.

"Goldenboy, the superhero, was one of the developers of that game," I said, quite proud of myself for knowing such fact. Goldenboy was one of my favorite superheroes not because he's a goody-two-shoes, but because he was reeking with sass. My tastes lean towards the supervillains but he was just too snarky and witty, I had to make an exception. Through the years, though, I lost track of his activities especially when we moved to Hiddenville. I took a mental note to search him up for latest news.

"Yeah, I know that," Vanessa said. "Gee, Max. I just told you, this is one of my favorite games. I know simple facts like that by heart." She kept on going over the two other games until she stood up, located my console, and loaded up the game. I was taken aback when she tossed me one of my controllers before retrieving another one for herself. Vanessa sat down beside me again and waited for the game to start. We were playing in silence, well, not really because we kept on throwing insults towards each other all throughout the game, when she suddenly said something that caught me in a bit of a surprise.

"Don't you think it's a bit funny, though, how you call me Golden girl while we're playing a game made by Goldenboy?" I glanced at her concentrated face for a while before turning my attention back to the game. I've only called her that once in her face and I doubt she remembers.

"Who told you that?"

"You called me that once. But Oyster filled me in with the rest of the deets. Apparently, you say it as if it's the most disgusting word you know," she said with an amused expression. My cheeks grew warm. Right, she's tutoring Oyster for a while. How dare he let that sort of information slip up? I bet he's too goo-goo-eyed towards the Golden girl to reveal that sort of thing. I demand a payback.

We kept playing in silence, this time for real. I couldn't find the right words to say. It's a bit embarrassing to defend myself about something childish. I think she senses that, too. "It's sort of a secret between us guys. I didn't know he told you, which is a stupid mistake. Although, I don't really care if you know." Lies, I did, a little. The game flashed a game over, indicating that I lost to the Golden girl. She cheered in delight while I groaned in defeat.

"The Golden girl just defeated you, Maximus," she said arrogantly while standing up again to return her controller next to the console.

I didn't know what came over me when I blurted out, "He likes you, you know. Oyster." I mentally slapped myself. That is against the guy code, I think. You shouldn't tell your friend's crush that your friend likes them. But then again, this is kind of the payback I wanted from Oyster.

Vanessa stopped on her tracks then turned to me with a wide grin, which I returned with a dumbfounded look. "I know," she said. Huh? How? "It's obvious, Max." I definitely did not expect that. "But I don't want anything interfering with our studies right now. I'm simply tutoring him." I watched her as she walked back beside me but this time, she did not sit. She got her bag and hung it on her shoulder. "Oh, before I forget…" She opened her bag again and produced yet another box from inside. She tossed it to me and I caught it in an instant. "Stabilized." She turned her heel and proceeded to walk away from the bed. This must be the Nova, I thought as I looked at the box which obviously contains the titanium jar. "Bye, Max. Get well, soon," was all she said before she saw herself out of my room.

 **Author's Note** : Okay, yes, this is not particularly festive. I just decided to put a chapter because it's the holidays and I wanted to give you guys a treat. Also, as you may have noticed, I am changing the pace up a bit to have a more Vanessa/Max dynamic. I'm excited for the future chapters! I hope you are, too. Anyway, again, happy holidays! I wish you all well!


	9. Chapter 9:her girly girly bff

**Author's Note** : Hello, lovelies! My sincerest apologies for the late updates on my stories. The last two months of school have been especially hectic but summer vacation is upon us! (At least, from where I am from) Anyway, this is the ninth chapter, I hope you enjoy. Stick 'til the note on the very bottom for some stuff I wanted to inform you guys. The Tundermans is still not mine. Unfortunately.

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Nine** : …her girly girly bff

 **VANESSA**

The first three days of the week came in a blur. Everything that happened in school and in our house was nothing particularly interesting. Even classes bored me and that is a rarity. I'm the kind of student who is eager to learn anything about everything so when Mr. Beamton caught me half-lidded during one of his lectures on Monday, I felt nothing but embarrassed.

"Ms. Golden, what is the answer to this equation?" he asked with a stern voice. All I did was stare at him with wide eyes as my cheeks grew warmer by the second. We engaged on a staring contest for about thirty seconds while all my classmates watched the exchange. I wanted the ground to swallow

me whole that moment. I am Vanessa Golden and I am supposed to know everything about anything!

"Uhm…" I started. He tsked his tongue twice. Before he could do a third, I regained my focus. First, I blinked twice. Second, I glanced at the chalkboard. Written in dusty white streaks was the equation for the given question. Our topic is electricity so I think this would be easy. My mom always hands me the bills every month anyway. Third, I tapped my fingers on the table to help solving the equation. Lastly, I blinked twice. "36.326 Volts," I blurted out. As soon as the answer left from my mouth, the room grew silent and the aura heavier.

Mr. Beamton coughed softly while adjusting his tie, indirectly signaling everyone to turn their attentions back to him. "Very good, Ms. Golden. Perfect until the last digit. Now, if…" then his voice faded out from my bubble of attention. I swear I answered a few more questions after that and I distinctly remember not cutting any classes, I never do that, but nothing specific was going through my mind all day. The vivid happenings dragged on until Wednesday. I feel like a zombie floating between time and space.

"Vanessa?" I heard a voice call me from a great distance. "Vanessa." There it was again, but this time, it felt nearer. "Vanessa!" Oyster yelled, making me jump. His face was about three inches away from mine. The sight of our close proximity ticked my reflexes so I backed away, nearly falling off my seat. "You are seriously freaking me out ever since Monday," he said with concern in his voice and worry on his eyes.

I huffed in annoyance. Why couldn't I concentrate? I don't know what's bothering me but something is off. I just can't put my finger on it. "Sorry," I apologized to my blond companion. In reply, he just smiled but the anxiety never left his eyes. I mentally slapped myself awake and grabbed the notes in front of me. Our tutoring sessions usually last for an hour and a half and I already wasted forty-five minutes of it. "Right, where are we?"

"Are you sure you're okay to go on? You look tired and, well, not interested."

"I'm fine," I said without looking at him. Should I believe that, though? I made a quick run-through of what we have been discussing for the past minutes when I was under a hazy state. To my surprise, the things I wrote made sense. My brow furrowed. I am so brilliant.

I felt Oyster scoot closer to me to point out where we left off. "So, we were discussing the interaction of the respiratory and circulatory systems."

"Right. Uhm… Here is some illustrations that will help you memorize the parts and their functions." I proceeded to draw in some careful curves and lines. Some shadings won't hurt. While I sketched away, I simultaneously labeled and discussed the parts to Oyster. He listened intently as he always does. I think I like that aspect of him – curious and interested to learn. Not many people are like that. By the time my phone's alarm buzzed off, signaling the end of today's tutoring sessions, I felt a slight ache on my throat. I must have been talking nonstop. I grabbed my water bottle and took a generous sip.

"Vanessa," Oyster muttered while putting his books in his backpack. I raised an eyebrow at him to acknowledge his call. "You are really an amazing tutor. I don't only understand the lessons, I actually get some work done," he said with a smile. I beamed back at him, flattered by his thanks. "I'm still not sure how to thank you, I mean, you've done more than you should and I am grateful for that."

I proceeded to fix my things as well. "You don't have to do anything. Just get at least a B on our next quiz and I will feel the fulfillment of being your tutor," I said. He chuckled at my remark, dimples and all. "Right, so, I'll see you tomorrow during our free time. Don't forget to review the extra notes I wrote on the margins. Those are very important."

"Right." We both ascended from our seats and headed to the classroom's exit. I let him lead as I was still grabbing my bag. I followed his tail, nearing the door with every step but Oyster suddenly stopped short and stared at the door. I'm not sure if he _is_ staring at the door, all I could see from my place was his nape. I almost stumbled forward to him. Luckily, I wasn't walking very close.

A few seconds passed and the silence grew. He wasn't doing anything, he just stood there, blocking my way. "Is everything alright?" I finally asked. I could hear the clock ticking faintly.

He proceeded to sigh deeply. Then, he scratched his ears all the while turning to face me. His features bore a boyish smile, almost too shy and innocent from what he usually is. He wasn't looking at me. Instead, his eyes zeroed in on the black bracelets I was wearing for today. "Vanessa, you're such a great person and you probably know that already," he started. I looked at him with a bit of confusion. I don't know where this is going. "And you're extremely pretty. I mean, all the guys and some girls made that clear," he continued. I felt my knees shaking in a very subtle manner that if I weren't paying attention, I might just mistake it for an itch. Nope, definitely not an itch.

Oyster started laughing nervously. His antsy behavior concerned me greatly. I only gave him a faltering grin. "Thank you, I guess?" I said. "I really don't know how to respond to that."

This time, he looked at me with worried eyes as if a cloud was cast over them. His laughter died down and was replaced with a sincere but still anxious smile. "What I'm trying to say is that…" he trailed off. I turned my head to the side, waiting for him to continue. "Well, it's just that… I… uhm…"

"You what?" I asked, urging him to spit out whatever it was he needed to tell me. Besides, I'm running a bit late. Mom's going to cook dinner. Her mash potatoes and chicken are heavenly. I wouldn't want to miss that.

He sighed in frustration, slumping his shoulders down, and closing his eyes. "I wanted to ask you out. Maybe for lunch or something?" I didn't respond yet. Instead I giggled, making him open his eyes slowly. "Why are you laughing?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Sorry," I apologized while covering my mouth to silence my fits. "I didn't think you'd be that worked up about asking me out for lunch. Anyway, I appreciate the gesture and I would love to hang out with you but I'm really not sure if I could."

"Why not?"

"Well, we have classes. I work during Saturdays and on Sundays I mostly spend it with my parents. I'm not that sure if I could arrange lunch with you."

His features softened. His dimple returned and so did the redness on his cheeks. "Right. Sorry I just really wanted to hang out with you 'cause you seem like a cool girl and I wanted to thank you for all the help with lessons. You don't have to stress over it." He turned and opened the door for us to leave. I felt my heart sink down to my stomach. He might be sporting a sweet smile but his eyes say otherwise.

Oyster is a nice guy. He's a gentleman. He's sweet. And it wouldn't hurt if I say that he's good-looking, too. His bad boy hair adds to the appeal, I think. But I don't know if I like him that way. Besides, I'm going to be too boring compared to him. He's part of a band, he plays guitar, sings, and he's into sports. Me, I'm just everything he's not. I don't think we would click. Also, I really want to focus on my studies first. I want to be as successful as my parents and having a boyfriend might not help that much.

 _Who said anything about having a boyfriend?_ My conscience knocked from the side of my mind. _No one._ I answered back. He just wanted to have lunch, sweet cheese! It's not like I'm going to commit into having a relationship! And, come on, he seems cool. He said he just wanted to hang out and not make out or something. It's like a friendly activity to show his thanks. Although, I'm not so sure about that after all the compliments he gave me earlier. Ugh, but who cares? It's just lunch – nothing more, nothing less.

I grabbed the back of his leather jacket to turn him around. "Just lunch, right?" I asked in confirmation to which he nodded his head with pursed lips. "Maybe I could make some time next Sunday? I'll still ask my parents about it, though."

His face lit up at my compromise and showed me his perfect beautiful teeth. "No pressure!" he said in a jumpy tone. "If you could make it, then that's great. If not, that's still okay. We still have sessions, anyway."

"Yeah, that's true," I said with a smile. "I guess I'll just let you know soon, then. But right now, I have to go home. Mom's cooking and I can't miss it."

 **PHOEBE**

"I mostly hate you, Pheebs, but this spaghetti is amazing," Max spoke through a mouthful of pasta. Sometimes I forget that he's a sixteen-year-old and I think my statement is supported by the gross amounts of red sauce slobbered on the sides of his mouth. "I just wish you were as great as your cooking." With that, I took the liberty to kick his foot under the table. Oh yes, the one with the cast. He jumped in pain and surprise. "Ouch!" he yelled. His eyes grew wide at me but I only smirked in return. Billy, Nora, and Chloe all giggled softly.

Mom and Dad weren't very amused, though. "Phoebe, quit being childish and Max, quit being…" Mom trailed off as she looked at Dad knowingly. She hates it when she scolds one of us when we're sick or injured. "Max, just quit being sloppy, or something." It was Max's turn to smirk at me.

"How's school by the way, Phoebe?" Max asked in mock concern. All the people on the dinner table besides us twins looked at each other in disbelief. I rolled my eyes at him and continued to stab my food with a fork. "Anyone sent me 'get well soon' letters yet?"

"No," I said bluntly. "In fact, all the teachers are enjoying your absence. No Max means no pranks." And it is true. For the past three days, my lessons were peaceful and orderly unlike when Max is around. His injury is somewhat a kind of blessing-in-disguise. Without him, precious time isn't wasted by teachers yelling for him to get out of the classroom. No one annoys me during quizzes. And lunchtime is much more enjoyable without him showing off his silly little gadgets.

"Yeah, well, they should have enjoyed it while it last," he said, turning to his food. Silence enveloped the room while my brow raised in curiosity.

"I'm sorry, why? You're not going to school until next week," I said. Max wasn't allowed to use a wheelchair because Dad thought he'd be wasting more space than he should and Max would most likely laze around more. Mom got him crutches the other day but they broke easily 'cause they were too small for him.

"Didn't you know?" Billy started, mirroring my expression. "Max already got his new crutches."

"Yep, bought it today," Dad added. Then, the subject was just dropped after that. I guess I wasn't that interested about it, anyway. Although, I'm still a bit worried about his return. I should have just bid farewell to my peaceful days and made the most of them. Such bittersweet moment.

Dinner ended shortly. Nora and Chloe are in-charge of the dishes today so that means I could go back to my room and spend the night reading the new book I got. But before I could make it upstairs, Max grabbed me by the shoulders to turn me around. "What?" I asked. "I still have important things to do. I have no time with your pranks and stuff."

He rolled his eyes at me and fished out something in his pocket. When he let his hand out, a small white box rested on his palm. "Take it. It's one of my projects"

"Newsflash, Max, boxes have already been invented. You should come up with better ideas next time," I said, sarcastically. "But seriously, what is this?" I asked before attempting to open it.

"Don't open it!" Max screamed, making me jump. My heart raced so fast. If this thing exploded, I'm going to kill him, I swear. "No, it's not a bomb. But most importantly, it's not for you." This time, my face scrunched up in confusion.

"If it isn't for me then why are you giving it to me?"

Max stared at me with a straight face devoid of any kind of human emotion. "It's for the Golden girl and I want you to give it to her."

"Why me? You're going to school tomorrow, why won't you give it to her then?" I asked, voice slightly raised in confusion and annoyance. I should have been tucked in to my bed and reading away my night before falling asleep.

He snorted loudly which sounded unpleasant to my ears. Well, everything that my brother does is unpleasant. This wasn't exempted from that fact. "I can't just give it to her, we're not friends." Max's logic still amuses me to this day. Mom said we have super intelligence as one of our powers but I am starting to believe that maybe Max had a birth defect. "You, on the other hand, is her girly girly bff," he said this with a high-pitched voice, imitating that of a girl's. "So, just give it to her and don't ask any questions. Bye." Then, he left for his room.

I am still tempted to know what's inside the box and why he's giving it to Vanessa. They aren't friends as he claims to be, and I believe that they are not. It's just a bit peculiar to me for Max to give someone, a very brilliant girl, may I add, something enclosed in a little box. It's either jewelry or a small weapon of some sort. I could never trust Max. Maybe I should hold on to this for a while. I'm still not going to open it for the sake of my own safety but if this poses serious threat within twenty-four hours, I'll have Max's head on a plate.

 **Author's Note** : Hello! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. There are some things I wanted to tell you guys. First, I know there is a lot of grammatical errors in my works but as soon as I finish this, I will get back to editing and correct any mistakes I made for your own reading pleasure. Second, I'm actually looking for editors around wattpad and ffnet. I wanted to request some book covers for my works because I'm not big on photo manipulation so if you want to help me out with that, just send me a private message or something like that. And lastly, since we're on the topic of photo manipulation, I am also accepting submissions for fanarts or anything fanmade that is related to my works. Hit me up on the PMs for that, too. Song suggestions for chapters are also open. Submissions will be credited and chapters will be dedicated to those people as well. That's all and thanks for supporting my stories no matter how silly they are. Haha. See you soon!


	10. Chapter 10: I Suggest You Break an Arm

**Author's Note** : Hello, everyone! I really don't have anything to say. I just felt like having an author's note on the beginning of every chapter is a staple. Haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter! (I do NOT own the Thundermans.)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Ten:** I Suggest You Break an Arm

 **MAX**

I love being useless. Don't get me wrong, the pain on my foot still bothers me to an extent but the fact that I'm visibly on crutches is divine. Every person in school seems to take pity on me and, of course, I take advantage of their fragile emotions.

Take for instance the events just this morning. Dad dropped us off in front of the school because, obviously, I can't ride my motorcycle. I had to endure the embarrassment of boarding off the family car. Anyway, I expected people to just ignore me when I entered, as they usually do, or at least give a glance on my cast and forget me entirely. Instead, five cheerleaders made their way to me, pompoms still in their hands, and squealed with delight.

"Oh my gosh, Max! It's so good to see you again!"

"We heard you had your foot all messed up."

"Oh, you poor thing. Those crutches must be horrible."

"Do you want me to carry your stuff, Max, darling?"

They acted as if I was a roadkill survivor or something. One of the cheerleaders did carry my stuff all the way to my locker. But the fun doesn't stop there. While we were walking down the hall, more and more people crowded towards me. All of them were curious about how I broke my foot. Most of them offered some kind of help like carrying my stuff, treating me for lunch, doing the homework I missed. There was no doubt I said yes to all of their offers. When I finally reached my locker, where Oyster stood with a smile on his face, my cast was decorated with signatures and 'get well soon' written in colorful markers. Oyster shooed the people away so we could have a bit of a chat.

"You're enjoying this are you?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. Judging by the smirk on my face and lit up eyes, I'm sure he knows my answer already.

"Of course I am!" I said as I threw my hands on the air. "Man, breaking my foot was the best thing that ever happened to me. I suggest you break an arm sometime so you could feel how I feel."

Oyster shook his head, but his smile wasn't faltering. He filled me in on some stuff that happened over the course of my absence. According to him, not much happened. Most of the classes were still boring. I have a pile of homework to do. Luckily, I found a solution to get through that. The cafeteria is serving chocolate pudding, though, which I am looking forward to trying.

"Believe me, something that looks too good to be true from the cafeteria isn't worth your trust," he said after I told him about my plans on checking it out. I agree with him on some level. The cafeteria doesn't serve good meals, anyway. The canned lemonades are the only decent ones in there.

"How about biology?" I asked. "You scraping through?"

"Oh, yeah. I started tutoring sessions with Vanessa." Right, the Golden girl.

Speaking of the devil, Golden approached us along with Phoebe and Cherry. Oyster's grin was even wider and he was unconsciously balancing awkwardly on his feet. I ignored his gesture and turned to the three girls.

"Feeling better?" The pink-haired girl asked. I nodded my head, not saying anything. "Good, 'cause Mr. Beamton wanted you to have these." She handed me a small pile of paper held by a blue paper clip.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Those are application forms for the upcoming science fair," Phoebe joined in on informing me. "Mr. Beamton and some other science teachers are giving these out to selected students."

"Can I see that?" I handed the papers to Oyster. He skimmed through the pile before turning to me. "Right. I heard about this. Mr. Beamton was talking to the principal the other day about this. I heard international scientists and inventors are looking for new concepts from students all around America."

"They are," beamed in Cherry. "Besides a scholarship, the chosen students will receive a cash prize."

My brows furrowed at how engaged the two blondes were in the conversation. "Did the two of you receive application forms from them as well?"

They laughed and said, "No," in unison. "But Phoebe and Vanessa did," Cherry added. I wasn't very surprised at that. Cherry and Oyster aren't the best in academics, to be honest. They are nice but definitely not the brightest. "You're lucky, though," Cherry continued. "You almost didn't get in."

"You owe your thanks to this girl," Phoebe nudged Vanessa on the side which made her smile. "If it weren't for her, Mr. Beamton wouldn't have been convinced that they you were an inventor."

I frowned at the four of them, skimmed through the paper once again, and then lazily threw the pile inside my locker. "Even if I could beat every kid in this school merely by my brains, I haven't the slightest of interest in it."

"But why?" Phoebe's eyes grew wide. "We were both in science fairs when we were younger. Surely, you don't want to back down against me, at least."

"Ah, Phoebe. This isn't always about you," I countered with a smirk. "I just want to dedicate most of my time to other things besides that stupid fair. Good luck to all of you, though. And congratulations because you didn't have to compete against me." I pushed my locker door close just in time for the school bell to ring, signaling for the first class. "Well, I'm off," I said while I handed my bag to one of the cheerleaders on my class who didn't hesitate to catch it.

At lunch, our usual table almost doubled in people. Most of the new seaters were girls who fed me as if my arms were broken and not my foot. My friends, of course, saw this opportunity to interact with them and maybe score a date. Some guys from the lower year acted like my servants and gave me massages. Oh, I wish I could break every limb on body and have this kind of high school life every single day.

The only one who didn't like this much attention, though, was Oyster, who was seating on the farthest side of the table with books spread out in front of him, blocking the party out of his mind. He seemed really focused on what he was reading. I had to scoot closer to him to see that he was memorizing something for biology. Then, I tapped him on the shoulder to bring him back to reality.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "There's lots of people here, man. Come on, have fun for a while." I handed him a can of lemonade which he took with a smile but he didn't scoot any closer to the fun side of the table. When I sensed that he wasn't going to give up what he was doing, I pulled him close to where I was seated and introduced someone to him. "Oyster, this is Denice, she's from my English class, she's a cheerleader and she would love to get to know you. Denice, this is Oyster, my friend and bandmate."

"Hi," said Denice as she made her way beside Oyster. Her bright green eyes contrasted against her olive skin and black hair. "You're so cute. Do you sing in your band?"

Oyster, who looked uncomfortable for whatever reason, stuttered a 'hello' and said, "I play the guitar and sometimes I sing, too."

I almost left the two of them to get to know each other better until Oyster stood up suddenly to approach a certain four-eyed cotton candy-haired girl walking past our table with my twin sister right beside her. "Vanessa," he called out. I turned to Denice just in time to see a look of disappointment and offense on her face. I mouthed a 'sorry' at her before following my friend.

"Oyster, what's wrong with you?" I grabbed his shoulder to turn him around. "Denice looked really in to you and you just ignored her."

"Denice? The cheerleader?" Vanessa interrupted. She turned to Oyster with a straight face and said, "Well, I guess I wouldn't ask my parents after all?"

"No!" Oyster countered. "Denice is barely an acquaintance. Don't mind Max. We could continue with our plan if you like." Plan? What plan?

"Oh, okay. Say hi to Denice for me then." She gave a sincere smile to Oyster before walking out of the cafeteria with Phoebe.

 **VANESSA**

Everyone seemed interested at Max's return so the cafeteria was twice as loud than most days. I told Phoebe that I'd much prefer to eat in a less clamorous place so she agreed to have lunch with me out on the fields. Cherry was also there with some of their other friends.

Before we could exit the cafeteria, Oyster called for me and asked if I asked permission from my parents yet about Sunday. I was going to tell him that I haven't yet but will surely do it tonight when Max turned him around and said something about Denice, the pretty cheerleader that everyone knows. In an instant, I felt some kind of twitchy feeling in stomach.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't ask my parents after all?" I said with a straight face. The twitchy feeling still not stopping.

"No! Denice is barely an acquaintance. Don't mind Max. We could continue with our plan if you like." I felt myself sigh internally. Although, I don't know why I would.

"Oh, okay. Say hi to Denice for me then." I gave a small smile to Oyster then walked out of the cafeteria.

As soon as we set foot on the hall, Phoebe literally squealed and jumped. "Oh my gosh, you're going out with Oyster, aren't you?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"It's not what you think. It's just lunch and he's just a friend. Please don't look into it more," I said. But she didn't stop being all jumpy.

"Oh, come on. Oyster is cute and he's really nice. I'm sure it's not just a friendly lunch affair."

"Pheebs," I said as I refrained from walking. "He is a nice person but you know that I don't like him that way. And besides, maybe you're acting like this because you're a wee bit jealous. You used to like him, remember?"

"I'm sooo over him, Vanessa," she assured. We continued walking past the students scattered around the main hall and made our way towards the exit that leads to the field. "And you'll have my full support if you two ended up being together."

"No, no," I said with much concern on my voice. "We're not going to end up together so don't start planning my future in your head, Pheebs. Besides, I haven't asked permission from my parents for Sunday yet. For all I know, they will most likely disagree."

"That's great, what time will he pick you up?"

Oh, wow. I never expected any of this to happen. My parents are great, by the way. They are loving, supportive, and just all-around amazing. They are my childhood heroes and I aspire to be just as great as they are someday. But besides all that, they are, or were, very strict. Back in Beetlepen, in order for the neighborhood kids to befriend me, Dad had to practically see their family history at least five generations back. No criminal records, dire diseases, stuff like that. And Mom invites them over to our home and makes stupid tests and obstacles that they need to pass in order to have me as their friend. It was annoying, really, that's why I only had a handful of people I was really close to.

When we moved to Hiddenville, they significantly dropped the strict rules. My curfew changes indefinitely. I could hang out with anyone I like, hence my closeness to the Thundermans and Cherry. I still have to do my chores, of course. And I must never break that one and only rule they have or else we'll be returning to Beetlepen before I could say 'sweet cheese'.

However, I never expected them to be this okay with me hanging out with a guy who I mentioned likes me _likes_ me.

I almost dropped my fork when Dad asked me that question. "Are you serious, Dad? I mean, aren't you going to ask me what he is like? Aren't you going to scan through the history of his ancestors or something?"

"Nope," that replied bluntly as he returned to his mashed potatoes.

"And Mom, you're okay with this as well? Aren't you going to make him lift, I don't know, boulders from the neighboring town to our house?" I asked in a more frantic manner than I intended to.

"Oh, darling, why would I do that?" she countered with a sweet smile at me. I just stared at her with wide eyes and slightly gaping mouth. "You told me you're helping him in biology, which is nice of you, by the way. He's in a band, which is better than importing illegal stuff to the country. He seems cute, judging by the way you described his perfect set of pearly white teeth. And most importantly, he asked you nicely on a date and waited for us to give our go signal."

I blinked at least three times before answering her. "Okay, first of all," I said while raising a forefinger up in the air. "It's not a date. It's just friendly lunch." Dad snorted at this but never looked up at me. "And second, this is so unlike you to agree to this. I'm not even sure if you're still the same people who raised me."

"You seem like you don't want to hang out with this kid," Dad said.

"It's not like that. He is nice but… I don't know. You guys aren't acting like yourselves." There was silence on the table. "Besides, Dad, you told me no dating until after high school, remember?"

This time, he turned to me with something mischievous behind his eyes. "But you said this wasn't a date, right?" I was taken aback. Alright, fine. So maybe it was still, in some way, sort of a date. "Look, I only said that when we were in Beetlepen and you know how it was back there. Things change, love. We're now in Hiddenville which is, so far, relatively a safer place. I trust the people here and I trust your judgment. This, Clam kid."

"Oyster," I corrected him.

"Same thing," he countered immediately. "You're not going to marry him. It's just lunch."

"Your dad's right, Vanessa," Mom joined in while holding Dad's hand. "We all like it here in Hiddenville." I nodded my head at that statement, agreeing. "And well, your dad and I decided that we were too strict with our rules back at our old home. We wanted to make up for it and this kind of opportunity might be the best. You never dated guys, anyway. You're sixteen and we've been there," she said, referring to her and dad. "We just don't want to rob you of your youth. We trust you because you are a smart girl."

I sighed deeply, closed my eyes, and massaged my temples. I don't know why but a part of me kind of expected to text Oyster tonight and apologize because I couldn't hang out with him this coming Sunday. But now that I know that things are going to change, I'm not entirely sure how I would feel about it. Shouldn't I be happy that my parents understand what's it like to be a teenager? Finally, after all these years, I get to be a little freer to do what I want.

While I was in deep thought, Mom collected the plates and instructed me to go to my room and do my homework. But I still couldn't focus. I really don't like Oyster in that way and I'm afraid I would lead him on. Should I just… I don't know… Maybe I'm overthinking it. I picked up my phone, dialed Oyster's number, and waited for him to pick up.

"Vanessa, hi."

"Hi, Oyster. About Sunday…"

 **Author's Note** : So, what do you guys think? Please leave a review as it serves as my motivation to continue writing haha. Thanks!


	11. Chapter 11: That Shade of Pink

**Author's Note** : Hello everyone! This is yet another chapter from me to you. I hope you enjoy it! (I DO NOT OWN THE THUNDERMANS)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Eleven:** That Shade of Pink

 **PHOEBE**

Being in a family of superheroes isn't as ecstatic as it may seem. The comic books I've read in the past picture a superhuman in waves of hyperboles by making even their simplest assets extravagant. To the creators, living a double life isn't as hard. In fact, they want their readers to think that it is the most exciting thing to do on a daily basis – hide someone's abilities and only release them in dire times while wearing a ridiculous outfit. But from my personal experiences, the oddities that present themselves in real life could be a pain in the neck.

I was born and raised in Metroburg by my parents, known as Thunderman and Electress during their younger years, along with my siblings, Max, Billy, and Nora. Chloe came into the family when we moved to Hiddenville. Apparently, my parents decided to retire from saving the world to give us the comfort of living in normalcy. Although, that rarely happens in the household.

Back in Hiddenville, I wasn't anything special all because even my neighbors and classmates have superpowers which are sometimes much more amazing than what I possess. Even then, I worked my way towards the top of the class, which paid off well judging by the medals and awards that I've garnered over the years, but that still isn't enough. I know that I tend to be too studious sometimes. I was called a bunch of things back when I was younger like nerd or bookworm or know-it-all. Max still does sometimes. Because of this, I've never really had any friends and my early years turned out to be very sad.

So, when we moved here in Hiddenville, I promised myself that I will balance academics with my social life. It turned out well, to be honest, and I am glad. I met Cherry, Sarah, and now Vanessa. I cherish them all so much and I will do anything to keep them happy because they do the same for me.

But there are really inescapable moments that involve my friends which get to my nerves. For example, Max's stupid obsession to ruin Oyster and Vanessa's date.

"I know there is something unusual about that girl. I just really know it," Max blabbered about while pacing back and forth on the living room. He's been doing this for about thirty minutes now and I don't even know why I'm still watching him get all worked up about nothing.

I resumed brushing my hair. "Okay, first of all, it's just lunch. Oyster was the one to ask her out and she's just being polite," I said. "Second, I don't even know why you think you're supposed to be involved in this situation!"

He quit his nervous strides and snapped at my direction with wide eyes, clearly annoyed. "You don't get it, Phoebe. Oyster is not allowed to date that girl. She is everything he's not! Oyster is cool and is a ladies' man. He's in a band which, may I point out, have a possibility to breakup if he starts dating the Golden girl. This is like you having a crush on my friend all over again!" He groaned in exhaustion, covered his face, and slumped down on the sofa while whispering "What am I going to do?" repeatedly like he's a madman.

I took no offense on the last thing he said. My momentary interest with Oyster before was my mistake and I take full responsibility. "Oh, like Oyster's the one having a disadvantage," I told him with a very sarcastic tone. "Vanessa is smart, heck, sometimes even smarter than me. She's nice and kind and you have to admit that every guy in school is interested in her. Have you seen the people crowding over her on a daily basis?"

"Not every guy," he snapped once again.

"Grow up, Max. You know what I mean," I countered. "Besides, she isn't interested in you as well so don't even bother." I brushed my hair a couple more times before I stood up and made my way to the stairs. "Stop trying to be selfish and let Oyster have fun for once," I said as a final remark.

"Where are you going?" I heard Max asked while shuffling his way towards me.

"I am going to catch up with that book I've been putting off for far too— hey!"

"I really don't care," Max cut me mid-sentence when he suddenly yanked my arm and dragged me across the living room and into the front door. "We have a date to crash."

 **MAX**

I glanced at my watch for what seemed like the hundredth time yet there was still no sign of either Oyster or the Golden girl. It is impossible for me to make a mistake, this is the place that Oyster picked to have lunch with Vanessa. Besides, it's hard to forget because this is a newly opened restaurant.

"Max, this is stupid and I am going home," Phoebe said, annoyed.

I grabbed her arm and sat her down once again. "Shut up, this is a matter of life and death," I told her. She then lectured me on how I shouldn't make mountains out of molehills especially when I am not involved in my friend's weekend affairs but I just can't imagine Oyster and Vanessa being a thing. The reputation of our band is going to crumble down into pieces if they knew that he's dating someone. To make matters worse, that someone happens to be a snobby smartypants. I felt a shiver down my spine especially when I remembered Oyster being serious when he told me about their date last Friday.

 _"So, I was thinking, we haven't been on gigs for a while and I think I could hook us up to play in Splatburger like last time," I said while we were walking down the hall to our lockers._

 _He gave me a smile and said, "That'd be cool, bro. We could rehearse at your place again."_

 _"Yeah. What'd you say about Saturday?"_

 _"Ooh. I can't I'm helping my uncle run his shop, remember?" Oyster has this uncle who repairs and sells secondhand vehicles. He's the one who sold me my current motorcycle._

 _"Sunday?" I asked him again._

 _"About that," he started just as I was opening my locker door. He started leaning on his. "I asked Vanessa out for lunch and she said yes."_

 _I dropped like two notebooks to the ground along with my jaw. His announcement felt like pouring an ice bucket on my head. "What?" I asked frantically. He jumped in surprise. "What do you mean you asked her out? Didn't I tell you to stay away from the Golden girl? She's not good for your image and the band's. She's a nerd, remember?"_

 _This time, his brows furrowed. "I don't see any problem in that. And quit calling her the 'Golden girl' like you're insulting her. She's not a nerd, she just happens to be really smart."_

 _"Have you seen the color of her hair?" I added though I truthfully don't know why I said that. "That shade of pink doesn't look trustworthy and you know it." I threw both hands on the side of my head as if surrendering. He didn't seem to look pleased about my last remark._

 _"Are you jealous?"_

 _I felt my cheeks warm up in embarrassment and anger. How dare he assume that? I will never be interested with the Golden girl! Frankly, I don't see what's so special in her. Sure, she's smart. But Phoebe's smart, too. Heck, even_ I _am smart, I just don't show it as much. And she's not even that pretty, she looks average. "That would be the last thing I would feel. I'm just saying," I started, now calmer. "If you want to date, fine, but not her. Trust me, she will turn out to be a nightmare." I put my hand on his shoulder as a sign of reassurance but he just brushed it away._

 _He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Look, Max, I like Vanessa, I really do. And I don't think I'll regret asking her out on a simple lunch on the Silver Platter. If you want to rehearse, text me but not this Sunday."_

"If you're dragging me into this, Max, at least buy me some food." Phoebe's request brought me out of my trance just in time for me to hear the double doors of the restaurant open. Finally, after some painstaking minutes, Oyster entered wearing a blue v-neck long-sleeved shirt and khaki pants, an outfit I've never even imagine he could pull off, and behind him was the Golden girl. Today, she had her pink hair on a loose ponytail and her outfit consisted of a white flowery dress and white ankle-high boots.

"They're here," I told Phoebe while I pulled up the menu to cover my face. She did the same with hers as we watched the couple, no, not a couple, never going to be. Let me repeat that. We watched Oyster and the Golden girl make their way towards their designated table which was two tables to our right. Perfect, indeed. It's easier to spy on them like this.

Oyster started pulling a chair for Vanessa. Just before she was to sit, I used my telekinesis to make Oyster pull the chair farther than he intended, the result having the Golden girl stumble down on the floor. I snickered at the scene. Oyster panicked and helped her up. I saw her face turn red as a tomato. I snickered louder.

"Ouch!" I yelled at Phoebe when she slapped my hand hard.

"That is a foul! You're purposefully sabotaging their date!" The couple beside us heard our bickering so they glared at us judgingly.

"Keep your voice down," I said. I pulled the menu even closer to my face. "And yes, I am sabotaging their date that's why I'm here." I glanced back on their table and saw the waiter holding a pitcher of water. I intended for the waiter to pour all of its contents on the Golden girl's head when I suddenly felt resistance.

I looked over at Phoebe who was focusing on their table as well. "Well, I'm going to make sure that you won't do that." With a flick of her wrist, the waiter was instantly drenched in water, saving the Golden girl from further shame.

 **VANESSA**

If I were to sum up my day, I would say that it was odd, weird, and went out of control. I should have made a checklist for possible embarrassing scenarios to happen on my first date to prepare myself from humiliation. I would've checked at least twenty.

Strange enough, though, I actually enjoyed spending the day with Oyster. Yes, I slipped on random things a couple of times, had food shoved on my face, and my dress acquired stains from all the inexplicable stuff that happened today but… Oyster was a gentleman. He didn't laugh when he saw me on the verge of tears. He'd stretch his hand out to help me up when I fell to the ground. And he made great efforts not to make me upset like that one time when a kid dropped his ice cream on my dress. Oyster did the same to his shirt which made me laugh and feel better about the state of my outfit.

Finally, the day came to an exhausting end and it's now time for him to walk me home. I opened the gate that leads to our front yard and gestured for him to come in. While we were walking he said, "I have to apologize for everything that happened today. I don't know why everything turned out messy and weird. I hope you forgive me."

I chuckled at his apology. "Don't worry. Maybe it's my fault for breaking a mirror this morning. Seven years of bad luck, here I come." We both laughed as we went nearer and nearer on our front door. "But I had fun. I thoroughly enjoyed your company."

"Really?" he asked, almost shyly. I nodded my head. "I had fun, too. Maybe, I mean if you want to, we could go out for lunch again?"

I weighed the odds. Will I be humiliated in front of him and other people again? Will my parents approve for a second time? I shrugged the thoughts off. What could possibly go wrong? "Yeah, I think I'd like that." And just when I thought all the embarrassment's through, a small bird zoomed past my face, missing me with merely a few millimeters. I yelped in surprise.

Oyster jumped as well, looked at me, and held a hand on the side of my face. "Are you alright? Man, that mirror must have been _very_ shattered if you're this unlucky."

I just laughed it off. "Maybe I should ban any mirror within a ten-mile radius from me. But this time, he wasn't paying attention to what I was saying anymore. Instead, his blue eyes were focused on my brown ones and his lips that held his smile earlier turned into a straight line, slightly parted. I felt my knees shake once again and I swear I saw his face move closer to mine.

"There you are." My reflexes kicked in, making my hands push Oyster away. The front door opened and revealed my dad with a very serious face. He eyed Oyster from head to toe, making the latter move even further away from me. His face was starting to grow pale while his eyes did their best not to meet my dad's.

"Dad!" I exclaimed nervously. I will never forgive myself for what he saw. My dad would go and speculate silly ideas again. I guess a second lunch won't be coming after all.

Dad ignored my acknowledgement. "You must be Clam," he said.

"Oyster, sir," the blond beside me said while stretching his hands out for a shake.

"Same thing." My dad took his hand but didn't let go just yet. Judging by the way his fingers curled, he had a tight grip on. "Nice to meet you and thanks for bringing my daughter home on time."

"Nice to meet you, too, sir," Oyster replied nervously. I could literally see beads of sweat on his forehead. Dad still didn't let go and continued staring directly at Oyster who was slowly losing color on his face.

"Okay, dad. Let's get inside to have dinner," I interrupted. I took my dad's arm and lead him outside though his eyes still scanned Oyster's façade. "Oh, and thanks for today, Oyster."

"Yeah, see you at school and—" Whatever the last thing was, I never learned to know because Dad slammed the door and led me to the kitchen as if he did nothing rude.

"Dad," I whined.

"Just to let him know that he doesn't own you."

 **Author's Note** : So, I actually had fun writing this. I personally think that Vanessa's dad is kinda cool. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12: That's a Vague Question

**Author's Note** : I have to apologize, yet again, for the long delay. I was catching up to Supernatural episode hehe. Anyway, here's the twelfth chapter. I hope you enjoy! (I DO NOT own the Thundermans)

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Twelve** : That's a Vague Question

 **VANESSA**

The last time I saw Oyster was on Sunday during our… day out. He didn't show up on Monday. I brushed it off and thought that maybe he's just resting. The events of our weekend affair weren't very forgiving, anyway. My inner clumsiness unleashed during that day. I'm never going to break a mirror again. Although, I've never believed in superstitions.

Since Oyster was absent, I managed to get home early yesterday to brainstorm for the Science Fair. I'm still not sure what I'm going to invent. Physics has been my strongest subject but I think I'd want to dabble on both Biology and Chemistry as well. So, I asked my dad for any ideas since he's a science nerd like I am.

 _"Well, what are you interests?" he asked._

 _I rolled my eyes at him teasingly, though he didn't see it. He was reading the paper again. "That's a vague question, Dad. You have to be more specific."_

 _"Hello, Goldens," the door opened, revealing Mom. On one of her hands, she held her trusty briefcase and on the other she held her black umbrella. Judging by the droplets on her umbrella and shoes, she must have encountered a drizzle moments ago. I went over to her to give her a kiss and hand her the pair of slippers she owns. "Thanks."_

 _I went back to the sofa to look over the notes I've been doing for my project. I don't have a concrete idea just yet and I think I need more help to come up with something feasible and worthy of being entered to the Science Fair._

 _"Why not pull up some of your blueprints? You have piles of them, might as well bring them into reality," Dad suggested. Again, I rolled my eyes._

 _Most of my blueprints are drawn for personal interests. Some of the ideas I've already scribbled are purely for my entertainment and not at all needed for practical uses. I do repair some inventions that my dead did during his youth but even then, I modify those things so I could play around when I'm alone in my room._

 _"Still brainstorming for the Fair?" Mom asked while setting down her tray full of china. My parents are avid drinkers of tea. I guess they passed the interest down to me. I nodded my head in mild frustration. Mom sat next to me and turned on the television. The news was on but I didn't pay much attention. I wasn't very interested in politics anyway. "How about ask some of your friends?"_

 _"Yeah I'm going to call Phoebe after dinner and ask for some advice," I said, not looking up from my notebook._

 _"No, love. Ask some of your_ friends _… from Beetlepen, I mean._ "

 _I stopped short for a second and looked at Mom, who focused her eyes on the t. v. screen while sipping her jasmine tea. Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I have some friends back in Beetlepen who have the same interest as I do. A couple of them are great inventors, even better than I am! I hugged Mom suddenly which threw her off. "You're a genius, Mom!"_

"Vanessa?" Phoebe interrupted. I woke up from my trance and removed the pencil in between my teeth. "You're zoning out again. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was just… thinking," I replied. I shuffled my papers into a pile and double-checked the information I needed. I'm still missing a few details but these will help for the meantime. "Hey, Pheebs."

"What?" Phoebe said while putting her books back in her bag.

"I'm glad you're helping me out with this. You must be busy yourself but I really do appreciate you coming here to the library with me," I said. Phoebe smiled and asked if I were ready to go. I grabbed my stuff and followed her out of the library. Tonight, I'm going to crash at her place. My parents are on a business trip and won't be coming home until Friday. The Thundermans are humble enough to welcome me in their home.

Phoebe and I entered through the backdoor once again. Mrs. Thunderman's already preparing dinner judging by the aroma wafting all over the house. "Hi, Mom," Phoebe greeted before she gave her mom a kiss. I said my greetings as well. "Hey, Vanessa, Mom needs help with dinner. Do you mind taking my things up to our room?"

"Not at all. You go on and help her." I rushed up to Phoebe's room, which she's sharing with me until my parents come back from their trip, put our things away, and changed my shirt.

Downstairs, I found Nora and Chloe giving Billy some kind of makeover. His lids were a mixture of blue and purple. His cheeks were as pink as Nora's bow, and his lips were butchered with uneven lipstick. I snorted at the sight. "They're making me pretty," Billy said before I could open my mouth and ask what's going on. I shrugged my shoulders and was about to sit on one end of the couch when Billy suddenly appeared in front of me, claiming my spot. "There's better lighting here."

I looked back on the chair beside the stairs that he was previously occupying and was somewhat surprised at how fast he covered the distance between the chair and the couch. I moved beside him, squatted, but was once again blocked by yet another little figure called Nora. "I want to do his hair."

So, I ended up sitting beside Max, who was busy playing a game on his phone. I ignored the loud sound coming from his device and the even more annoying cologne he wears. It was too strong for my liking. But, hey, this isn't my home. I have no right to complain. Not now, at least. I continued researching for the Fair. Phoebe and I found some helpful references from the library earlier.

"Still working on that nerd contest?" Max remarked, not looking up from his phone.

"It isn't a nerd contest," I countered.

"Yeah, it is, and you know it," he said instantly, followed by a snicker.

I sat straight and looked at him with a mischievous grin on my face. "Call it all you want but there's cash involved, so, your loss."

"Kids, dinner!" Mrs. Thunderman called out from the kitchen.

 **MAX**

"Where's Dad?" I asked Mom on my second round of steak. I should have probably asked earlier but… you know… steak.

"He's still at his friend's birthday party. Said he's not going to have dinner," Mom replied while passing me the fried potatoes.

Casual conversations started and I didn't participate much. Although, I still listened because I have nothing better to do. Nora announced that she's got an important role on her school's play. Of course, Mom's excited, but I'm pretty sure it's one of those trashy roles that no one likes to get. Not Nora, though. According to her, she's born a star and every part is made for her.

Billy's teachers informed our parents that he's too hyper in class and suggested for him to take sports to focus his energy on a particular activity. He started swimming a few weeks ago and now he's being promoted to a higher level. I smirked at him knowing that he probably used his powers to advance.

Oh, Chloe made an imaginary friend today. She calls him 'Bob', a purple unicorn who farts rainbows and eats nothing but lollipops.

And, of course, my sister won't let the attention get away from her. She shared her updated information for her nerd contest. And apparently, she's working with the Golden girl. A match made in heaven. The power duo. The next Bonnie and Clyde. Do I need to make more sarcastic analogies? Unfortunately, the Golden girl still doesn't have a solid picture of what she wants to do.

"Oh, I heard you went on a date with Oyster last Sunday," Mom said out of the blue. My reaction was to be expected, and by this, I mean, choking on a piece of meat.

I coughed it out and faux apologized to my other companions. "Sorry, I have a narrow esophagus."

Phoebe glared at me, knowing exactly why I reacted. Mom urged Vanessa to start her story. "Uhm… I don't really think it's appropriate to call it a 'date', per se. But, yeah, we went out for lunch. He invited me. I wish I could tell you how flawless the day went but I'd be lying. It was more of a disaster."

"That's unfortunate," Mom said sadly. "But Oyster's a good kid. Do you like him?"

Ha. You thought I didn't see you blush there, Golden girl? She smiled sincerely at Mom but her eyes held some kind of… wariness? "Oyster's really nice. But we're just friends."

"Yeah, Mom," Nora joined in. "Vanessa's meant for someone else, anyway,"

"I second that," I finally said. "Oyster's busy with the band, we'll have a new gig next week. And she's…" I gestured towards the pink-haired girl. "She's… kinda… busy… aren't you?" 'Nerdy' was what I was planning to say but Mom might smack the back of my head. The Golden girl just stared at me, in annoyance, I presume.

"You do?" Nora asked. I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

Then, there was this awkward silence. Until Mom clapped her hands. "Alright, do your homework now and head to bed immediately. I'm just gonna clean up here." As if the lunch bell rang, all of us pushed back our chairs and headed towards the living room. Nora, Billy, and Chloe instantly claimed the sofa. I had no choice but to grab my phone and head towards my room.

"Max, wait," Vanessa called. I turned to face her. "Well, I was wondering if you'd know what happened to Oyster. He didn't go to school yesterday and he's not answering my calls."

For some reason I couldn't speak immediately. My hands felt numb as well. Weird. What's happening to me? "Uhh… I don't know. Haven't talked to him since Friday."

"Oh, alright. Well, thanks, anyway."

"Vanessa," I managed to grab her arm before she turned completely, my voice calmer.

"What?" Her doe eyes looked surprised. This is the first time I looked at her face with genuine interest. Her lashes are longer than I thought. And the freckles on her nose didn't look awkward. They look like tiny brown stars. Okay, maybe now I get why Oyster likes her. She's… ugh I hate to admit it… pretty. Innocent and pretty. And why does my heart beat in a weird way?

I let go of her arm and took a step back. "Nothing. I'll let you know if Oyster calls."

She gave me a wide smile. "Thanks." Then, proceeded to go upstairs.

In my room, I laid restlessly on my bed, both hands pillowing my head while I let my eyes roam around the ceiling. There's this funny sensation in my chest. And stomach. And hands. It's unusual. Am I sick? I don't know. I can't really tell. I shifted so I could lay on my stomach, face down on the pillow. It smelled like vanilla and copper. Two unlikely scents that I never thought made a perfect combination.

I closed my eyes and tried to swim around the thoughts forming in my head. Sweet cheese. Why is she here in my brainbox? This is so stupid. Yeah, she's pretty but not _that_ pretty. I mean, I've dated girls far more attractive than she is. Sweet cheese. Sweet cheese. Sweet cheese. Nope. I must have eaten something weird from the cafeteria earlier today. Yeah, that would explain the phenomenon happening in my stomach right now.

I am definitely NOT having a crush on Vanessa Golden…

… right?

 **Author's Note** : Thanks for patiently waiting for an update! Please leave a review J


	13. Chapter 13: Oh, Shush

**Author's Note:** Wow. It has been too long since I last wrote something for my fanfics. Hehe. You have to forgive me for that. High school has been unforgiving. Good thing I have lots of free time this summer until twelfth grade starts. Yay! During the span of my hiatus, I have to be honest and admit that I felt as if my stories are straying off my main plot and dragging endlessly. I'm going to try my best and fix this dilemma for your entertainment. Also, after this current chapter is finished, I will be dedicating a certain amount of my time in editing the past chapters so you guys better stay tuned for that. Thanks for your continuous support!

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Thirteen:** Oh, Shush

 **PHOEBE**

"How about I make a lipstick that changes flavor every time you lick it?"

"No."

"Lipstick that changes color every time you lick it?"

"No."

"Lipstick that–"

"Okay, what is with you and lipsticks?" I asked Vanessa in a feat of slight annoyance. I'm helping her brainstorm for the Science Fair which seems a bit unorthodox for me since we will be competing against each other. At this rate, with her suggestions equaling Cherry's ideas, I might actually have a hundred percent chance of winning.

"Sorry," she said with a weak smile while closing her laptop. "It's unlike me to have zero ideas especially when it comes to science fair inventions." She sat cross-legged on my bed and rested her chin on her hand. Her glasses rested lower than they should be on the bridge of her nose. "What are you coming up with, anyway?"

I turned my laptop to face her. "Behold," I said enthusiastically, "the Pheebs heels." We stared at each other for a few seconds before she bursted out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"That has got to be the cheesiest name you could give to an invention," she said in a fit of giggles. "Okay, all jokes aside, what does it do?"

I smirked and made my way beside her. "Well, if you'll focus your attention here on the screen you will see that I used a digital simulation of the Pheebs heels." She held back a laughter.

"Go on," she retaliated by giving me a serious face. I continued.

"The Pheebs heels look exactly like normal heels," I left out the part where I say that my design is far more fashionable than average shoes. "But, these heels can retract and transform into comfy flats."

This time, I gained a raised brow and amused chuckle from Vanessa. "Chic but comfy, I like it."

"Aha. And that's not all." I clicked a button on the program to bring us to the next panel of my project. "Whenever you use these shoes, may it be in heel or flat form, you are actually converting your energy to 'electrical' energy." I clicked another button to zoom in on the wirings I planned on doing. "You see here," I said while pointing at a series of diagrams, "when you walk, the vibrations and forces exchanged by your feet and the surface you're walking on is translated by these wires to store electric energy to these super thin batteries." I paused for a second then clicked another button for the last part of my mini presentation. "And here, on the soles of the shoes, is where the batteries are in. If you run your finger across this white lining of the sole, it will show you the hidden ports in which you can connect your phone charger into."

"Wait, so you still got to invent the batteries?" she asked with brow still raised.

"No. Wait a sec." I stood up and made my way to my drawer. I picked up the thin batteries and showed them to Vanessa. With a careful pinch, she held the batteries and examined them with wide eyes. "These were my last year's entry. It took me two and a half months to finish those."

Vanessa looked up at me and beamed in total awe. "These are amazing Phoebe! This is much more convenient to use than regular batteries, I mean when it comes to putting them into machines."

My mouth gaped and I held my hand on my chest to gesture that I am touched by her compliment. "Aww. Thank you, Vanessa. That really means a lot to me." She returned the batteries which I kept now on my bedside drawer.

"Surely, that must have won the blue ribbon," she added.

I sat beside her with a weak smile on my face, reminiscing last year's contest. "Yeah, it did."

"You look sad about it," she remarked. "Why?"

I turned to her and wondered why indeed. Maybe because Science Fairs aren't as fun anymore? Of course, I still love the fact that I'm doing new things and impressing my parents and adding new things for my future college applications but ever since high school, the 'fair' part in 'Science Fair' has been lacking.

Before we transferred to Hiddenville High, I have been no stranger to contests like this. Max and I were super competitive in that aspect. Every year I would come up with something environmental-friendly or energy-efficient… that kind of stuff. And Max, the rascal that he is, would come up with anything that would counter my inventions, yet his contraptions would still be amazing all on its own. Going against Max was always an adrenaline-inducing experience. My competitors in Hiddenville, on the other hand, has been the lousiest opponents I've had. It's like they're not trying anymore so I bag the win every single year. I miss the challenge. I miss something brilliant.

I miss Max, I guess. His competitive sense, at least.

 **VANESSA**

"No, I'm not sad about my annual championship!" Phoebe laughed and started poking me in the arms. I started poking back and before we both knew it, we were breathlessly lying on our backs and looking dazedly at the ceiling. "If anything, you should be the one looking sad. You haven't started on your project yet."

"I know," I gasped in defeat. "It's just so difficult to concentrate these past few days. I mean, I haven't fully adjusted to Hiddenville and this Science Fair will be the biggest help to make me comfortable around campus but, for some reason, my brain isn't functioning properly." I grabbed the nearest pillow on my side and covered my face in frustration. "What am I gonna do?"

"What?" Phoebe asked.

I threw the pillow away, which messed up my hair, and faced Phobe. "I said, 'what am I gonna do'." I sighed, then there was a five-second silence. Neither of us had the answer to my question. "I feel like I've been distracted lately but I'm really not sure why."

"Maybe it's Oyster."

I furrowed my brows at Phoebe, unsure of how to react. "Oyster?"

"Yeah," Phoebe nodded as-a-matter-of-factly. "Oyster. You know, the guy with blond hair, cute smile. The one who asked you out for lunch."

"What's Oyster got to do with all of this?" Seriously, Phoebe. Do enlighten me.

"Oh, come on. You're not that oblivious, are you?" she started, this time she meant business. "Look, it's clear that Oyster likes you and maybe with his efforts, you're starting to like him, too."

"I do like Oyster," I said while rolling my eyes. "But not in that way. I mean, he's a really nice guy but I don't think we'd work out."

"Oh, shush. You haven't even tried," it was her turn to roll her eyes although she did flip her hair, additionally. "Besides, he may not be the smartest guy in school but at least he's trying. You know, he's nice, and in a band, and genuinely likes you. Why not give him a chance?"

I bit my lip. To be honest, I've never really liked guys before. Not in a romantic way, I mean. Most of my friends back in Beetlepen are guys but none of them I find attractive enough to date with. My first crush was Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series and I was so convinced back then that I was going to marry him. "I don't know, Phoebe. Even if he likes me, there's no sure way of finding out what he really feels."

"You can ask him, you know."

I snorted. "Yeah, like that's going to happen."

"Well, unless you're a person who reads people's minds…"

Something clicked when Phoebe said those words. It's like a lightbulb went on in my head and everything else that came out of her mouth faded into a blurry noise. A person who reads minds. I'm surely not that kind of person, I mean I have a _different_ brain but not _that_ different. What if I don't have to have the telepathic abilities to read the musings of other people? What if there's some kind of device to at least project some bits and pieces from people's brainwaves?

That's it! That's my entry for the Fair. Oh, but that will take a lot of manpower and materials and practical experimentations on a volunteer. Do I know someone who's handy with machines, has sources for supplies, and smart enough to have actual brainwaves to be scanned? Hmm… Oh, wait, yes I do.

Max!

"…but you got to–"

"Phoebe, you're a genius!" I exclaimed at the top of my voice while hugging her.

"Uhm… Thanks?" I ran out of the room as fast as I my feet could take me. "Hey, where are you going?" Phoebe shouted just as I made it downstairs.

Without hesitation, I pushed the button hidden beside the stool which had the slide leading to Max's room. I jumped in and landed on Max's bed. "Max!"

"Woah woah woah!" Max hurriedly pulled down his black shirt with a scared expression. "You're not allowed here! I was changing for Pete's sake."

"Who's Pete?"

"I… actually don't know," he said in a much calmer tone but then his voice rose again when he spoke. "That's not the point. You need to leave because this isn't your room, Golden girl." He grabbed my arm forcefully and practically dragged me across his room, to the door while mumbling something incoherent under his breath. The only words I could make out were 'cheese', 'Phoebe', and 'nerds'.

"Hey, wait." I planted my feet on the ground to stop him in his tracks. With one swift motion, I budged out of his grip and distanced myself a few inches away from him.

"What do you want?" he said with an overly-exaggerated annoyance.

"Just hear me out, okay? I came up with a Science Fair project."

"Good for you, now leave." He proceeded to resume his dragging but I moved quickly this time. The only thing his hand gripped was thin air.

"Will you just shut up for two minutes, this is important."

"Not for me."

"Shh!" I used my finger to silence him rather harshly but it seemed to do the trick so I'm fine with it. It's just Max. "Are you going to listen now?" I threatened. He simply nodded his head in submission. "Okay. So, I decided to make a brainwave translator. It's kinda like a mind-reading device that projects bits and pieces of the subject's thoughts and emotions in a series of pictures or sounds or both."

"And you're telling me this because?"

"I need your help."

"No." Max then turned his back to me and started pulling out his blueprints from under his bed.

I was desperate. When I'm desperate, I get whiny. And when I get whiny, well, I get more annoying. "Please, Max. Please please please." I put my hands together as I beg.

"Look," he said while massaging the bridge of his nose. "Even if I did agree to help you, you won't be a hundred percent sure that it'll work."

Before I countered Max's claim, Phoebe entered the room via the door and made her way beside me. "Hey, Vanessa. Of all the places in this house, this is where I'd assume you would be."

Max spoke in a sing-song voice. "Oh, look, two nerds." But then he shifted his façade into an angry one and said, "Leave," while pointing his finger at the appropriate location.

"Oh, come on, Max. You've got to agree first with my proposal."

"What proposal?" Phoebe asked in confusion.

I turned to her. "I came up with this project for the Fair and it involves somewhat reading Max's mind."

"My answer is still no," Max interrupted.

Phoebe faced Max. Her face showed a smug expression that I can't quite find appealing. Then, it turned into something almost mischievous. The fact that she crossed her arms did not help. "Why? Too chicken, Max?" she taunted.

Max said, "N-n-no, I'm not," but I'm not sure if he meant that. He doesn't look as convinced as he tries to be. There was a certain pallor to his skin, too.

"So, do it! Agree to my offer. I'll even pay you," I said to further persuade him.

"No!"

"Why not?" Phoebe pushed.

"It won't work."

"Yes, it will," I protested.

"I don't know about you, Vanessa, but I think Max is hiding something," Phoebe speculated. "It's as if, he has _feelings_ he doesn't want people to know."

"No, I don't," Max countered.

"So, do it then. Agree to Vanessa's offer."

There was an awkward silence. Max's wide eyes shifted between Phoebe's dagger stares and my desperate pleas. Finally, with a defeated tone, he shouted, "Fine! I'll do it. But you have to pay me for every service I provide."

I squealed in delight. "I will, I promise! Thank you, Max."

I hugged him. He was nice. And warm despite being frozen to the spot. And he smells like vanilla for some reason. Then I pulled away. His shocked expression mirrored mine. Then, I backed away and felt my cheeks warm up. "Okay. I think we'll leave now," Phoebe said while taking my hand. "Let's go back to my room."

"Right." I seem to have found my voice. "Uhm… Thanks again, Max."

 **Author's Note:** Heyheyhey! Don't forget to leave your thoughts on the new chapter!


	14. Chapter 14: I Hate Feeling

**Author's Note** : Hello again, people! I suck at updating, I know, but my schoolwork are important and I know that you guys understand. Anyway, thank you for the comments and faves you left on the last chapter; it means a lot to me. If you have any suggestions as to how this story should go, don't hesitate to hit me up on the comments or send me a private message!

 **Don't Even Say It**

 **Chapter Fourteen** : I Hate Feeling

 **VANESSA**

Although it's Saturday, my usual routine of waking up at 6 AM and going to work at 8 AM was not followed because Splatburger closed down for the weekend. I think there's a health inspection on Monday and my boss is trying her best to clean the place up. She even hired professional cleaners to do the job for her. I'm not complaining, though. That meant that I could do whatever I want. And by that I mean gather supplies for my Science Fair project.

I am doing well so far. My dad helped me draw the blueprints and even gave some advice as to how I should do my wirings and other stuff. My mom made sure to call her own suppliers so that I could have materials of good quality. And Max, as stubborn as he is, was eager with helping me finish my daily tasks concerning the project. I just had to pay him either twenty bucks or treat him a free meal at Splatburger.

After I organized the things in my room, I descended to the kitchen to help Mom with lunch. Today, I am in-charge of the vegetables.

"How's your project doing?" Mom asked as she prepped the meat to be sliced.

"Everything's going smoothly," I said. I picked up the lettuce and started washing them. "I have some more parts to buy but Max is helping me with it."

"Oh, that's nice," Mom said.

A few seconds passed in silence. Only the clinking sounds of our tools echoed inside the kitchen. The usual scent of salt and pepper started filling the air. The calming noise of the running water joined in. The occasional sound of flipping pages filled my ears as Mom consults the cookbook from time-to-time. For the first time in weeks, I truly felt at home. My mom and I don't speak too often because we don't have to fill the silence with words that mean less than our actions. This is how we bond and I do look forward to the meals we are going to prepare during our stay here in Hiddenville.

Dad's lazy footsteps started making their way from the garden to the backdoor of the kitchen. In his left hand were rusty shears while his right hand balanced the straw hat on his head. Dad loved gardening but he was never good at it. My mom secretly takes care of his plants when he's not around the house.

"Hmmm…" Dad sniffed. "Something smells nice in here. I'm getting hungry."

All three of us placed our food down on our garden table after Mom and I finished cooking. After a few bites, Mom asked, "How is that friend of yours? That Oyster kid?"

Dad kept on chewing nonchalantly but I felt the aura around us shift. I paid no mind to it. Well, at least I tried. "He's okay. Our tutoring sessions have been yielding excellent results. I think he can catch up faster on our lessons now."

"That's very good," Mom said with a smile. Dad scoffed. "You know, you can invite him over for dinner if you want to. Just tell me in advance." At her statement, Dad choked. I had to pass him a glass of water.

"I think I'd rather have the Phoebe girl and her family over first." Dad said rather carefully this time. "They have been so generous to have welcomed our daughter in their home for a number of times now."

"Yeah, I think they'd like that," I told them. "I could ask them about and tell you their response."

We talked about other stuff after that, mostly about their work and how my Dad is starting to make his own friends. Mom is getting stressed out about incompetent employees. And I think they're thinking of travelling to Italy on December.

"Oh, by the way, you still remember your cousin Harriet?" Mom segued just when she finished ranting about how boring golf was.

Of course, I remember Harriet. She made my life a living hell when we were kids. She and I don't have siblings so our parents often schedule playdates when we were younger. She was a pain in the neck. Harriet used to steal my toys only to return them weeks after with some new body parts. Her pranks caused me to cry almost every night. But that one time, when she cut my hair, still sends a chill down my spine. I only had a sigh of relief when they moved to a new place when we were ten. I'm not sure what she's like now. Probably in jail, for all I know.

"Yeah, I remember her," I shrugged. "What about Harriet? Is she in jail now or something?" My dad snickered. Oh, he knew how problematic Harriet was.

"Surprisingly, no, she isn't," Mom said with a bit of a serious note. "I heard she's competing around Metroburg, coming up with new inventions and such."

"Good for her," I remarked.

"And she's going to visit in a couple of weeks."

"What?!" I exclaimed. I literally dropped my sandwich but I didn't care. I don't like to see Harriet! She's too much to handle. "Mom, you've got to be kidding me. You know how much she's bullied me."

"That is in the past, Vanessa," she said while rolling her eyes. "Besides, you can't expect people to stay the same. You were kids then and you're all grown up now. Why won't you give Harriet another chance? After all, you like inventing, right? She might help you with your project."

"How long is she going to stay here?" I asked, unconsciously reaching for my hair.

"About three days."

"Mom, I can't take three days."

"Oh, come on, Vanessa. You're overreacting," Dad joined in this time. I looked at him with complete surprise in my face. I thought he was on my side! "I've talked to your cousin on the phone. She seems more professional now. She seems nicer. We all know she had a... a…" Dad waved his hands around, finding the appropriate words to say. "A… phase. But like most teenagers, she's probably snapped out of it now."

"Look," I took a deep breath. "I can't do anything if she comes over but can you at least let me stay in Phoebe's place? I just can't stand Harriet."

"No," Mom said, now very stern and kind of scary. "You will give Harriet another chance and that is final."

 **MAX**

I follow a strict and precise routine during my Saturdays and it goes like this:

1\. Wake up whenever

2\. Eat whenever

3\. Video games

4\. Write songs

5\. Literally just slack off and try to relax and get away from my family

I am happy to follow these routines so you can imagine the disappointment written all over my face when the Golden girl called me to meet up in a nearby mall to shop for supplies. I know that I can just reject her and hang up but she offered forty bucks just to walk around with her and pretend I care about her project. I had to say yes.

But then again, as unexpected as this girl is, I wasn't prepared for a red-faced version of Vanessa. I thought it was my fault but I arrived on-time. What's her problem?

"Let's go," she said without looking me in the eye, leading the way to the nearest supply store. She barely acknowledged me but I didn't mind. It's not like I care.

The familiar scent of copper wires and spray paint invaded my nose while my eyes roamed around the store, looking for nothing in particular. I do enjoy my stay in shops like this. It feels like I'm in my element. It feels like home for some reason. Cheesy. I let my fingers touch the cold metal boxes while the cotton-candy-haired girl scampered around the aisles. I'm not really sure why she's so antsy. I didn't bother asking.

We didn't talk after she got all she needed aside from my occasional side comments about certain brands she needed to pick. It literally felt like I was ghosting her or something until she suddenly said, "Let's eat. I'm starving," with a straight face I've only seen to this day. I have to admit that that creeped me out a little bit.

We headed up to the food court, she offered to buy my food (to which I was glad to accept), then I waited for her on our table. I checked my phone for some updates (just my mom reminding me to be home before dinner because it's lasagna night) but it wasn't long before Vanessa to arrive. She bought tacos and fruit yogurts.

"Dig in," she remarked, still with a straight face. I shrugged and picked up my food.

She wolfed down her food which seemed just a bit off. I let her do that for a couple of minutes because it was kind of funny to see her be so disgusting for once. I smirked at how she looked. But then it got boring halfway. The taco shell bits started accumulating on the sides of her mouth.

"Okay, I know I am probably the least person to ask you this but what is happening to you?" She paused and looked at me in confusion. "Honestly. We aren't friends but I know you long enough to note that this," I gestured to her, "is kinda weird."

She dropped the last bit of her taco shell and just looked sadly on her plate. I was starting to get intrigued. "Sorry. It's just…" she paused then looked at me. "I eat like this when I'm stressed. I know, it's kind of disgusting but maybe that's why you're the one I called here."

"Me?" I asked in amusement. "Why me? I thought I'm here to help you with the supplies?"

"Yes, I know," she rolled her eyes. "But you're also kinda gross, no offense."

"None taken," I said with an eyebrow raised while sipping my soda.

"And, well, I thought you wouldn't mind seeing me like this." My eyebrows furrowed and she sensed what I meant. "Yes, I know we're not friends and maybe calling Phoebe was a better choice but I just don't want her to think that I'm like this all the time. When it's you, I don't mind."

 _Badump. Badump. Badump._

I stared at her for a moment before my gaze shifted on the diamond-shaped taco shell stuck on the left side of her mouth. I grabbed a piece of tissue ad wiped it away. I felt her tense up. "Why are you stressed? Because of the project?" I am not a sincere person but right now, I feel like the Golden girl's showing a more vulnerable side of hers, something that I can manipulate in the future, something I can take advantage of.

"No," she answered when I placed my hand back on the table. "I mean, a little bit, I guess. But it's not about that."

"Care to elaborate?"

She went quiet, as if hesitating, but proceeded anyway. Why did you ask, Max? "It's a bit petty, I know but my cousin's going to visit in a couple of weeks and I hate her. She used to bully me and make me cry when we were kids then she had this rebellious phase when we were teenagers but now… my parents keep on pushing me to give her another chance because she's changed. They kept telling me that she's a better person now but I highly doubt it. I just… I don't know how to deal with it." We were silent for a moment. "You wouldn't know," she said while she started taking spoonfuls of blueberry yogurt. "You've always been the bully."

Somehow, her words resonated in my head. And it hurt. "That's not true." I looked at her, holding back the anger I was starting to feel. "Do you think I'm doing these pranks, these crazy inventions, because I was born a bad person?"

"Max…"

"Do you know how difficult it is to be in a family where everyone thinks you're some kind of freak? My dad was the best guy in his job. My mom accomplished a lot during her youth. I am even twins with an overachiever. Do you think it's that easy to reach their expectations? It might be a surprise to you but I feel things, too, you know. I'm never going to be as great as my parents or even be equals with my sister. So I have to be good at being bad."

Oh, how the table have turned. I didn't plan on lashing out or even exposing my emotions to Vanessa. She just triggered a sensitive side in me. I hate this feeling. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

I hate feeling.

"Max, I think it's time for us to go home," Vanessa said with a calm tone and lingering gaze. With a couple of breaths, I nodded my head and walked with her towards the exit.

We didn't speak as we made our way to her house. In the sunset, they're house looked stunning compared to when I was here before, spying on her and Oyster. The walls almost look… golden. They are living up to their name, I see.

I walked her to the door, still not locking eyes with her, and watched her step inside. Before she closed the door, she said, "Thanks for today. I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah, sure."

Before I could turn back and head home myself, she leaned in and placed a soft, chase kiss on my cheek.

 _Badump. Badump. Badump._

I felt my eyes widen and my face start to warm up. I looked at her with inexplicable surprise but she only reeked with concern, as if this was normal. "And, I'm sorry about what I said. I know that you keep telling me we're not friends but I wish you would let me comfort you when you're down. I'm literally a call away," she giggled. "Well, I don't want you to be late for dinner. So, bye now."

I stood frozen on her doorstep, staring at their door, unsure of what to do next. I'm still not sure what happened or how we even got to that point of intimacy but I am certain that I might be on the brink of insanity. Ever since this girl came here, my world turned upside-down. I feel weird. I feel weird. I feel weird.

But for the first time in a very, very long time…

… I don't hate feeling.

 **Author's Note** : You know the drill! J


End file.
